Mother complains over Bashir interview(Jacko Victim ID'D?)

The mother of the 12-year-old boy who admitted that he had shared a bedroom with Michael Jackson has defended the singer and reported Martin Bashir's documentary to the Broadcasting Standards Commission.

Janet Ventura-Arvizo said yesterday that Mr Bashir's interview with the 44-year-old American performer, entitled Living with Michael Jackson, was a "gross distortion of the truth" that breached broadcasting guidelines governing interviews with children.

She has now instructed Theodore Goddard, the London law firm, to lodge official complaints with the commission, which oversees British television, and the Independent Television Commission, the ITV watchdog. Both forbid interviews with children under 16 without the express permission of a parent or guardian.

In her first public comment on the ITV documentary, which was broadcast on British television last Monday, Mrs Ventura-Arvizo, who lives in Los Angeles, says she was appalled by the two-hour programme and the way it used her son, Gavin. She claims that Mr Bashir and his Granada team failed to obtain her written consent for the interview, in accordance with rules laid down by the BSC and ITC.

She also attacked the presenter's commentary, which alluded to previous child sex allegations made against the star. She claimed that those allusions distorted her son's relationship with the singer.

In a statement issued through Jackson's London representative, she said: "I am appalled at the way in which my son has been exploited by Martin Bashir and Granada Television. At no time did either I or Gavin's father sign a consent form for Gavin to be interviewed by Granada Television which I believe is a legal requirement both in the USA and in England, as Gavin is a minor."

She added: "I would never have given consent for Gavin to appear in Bashir's film which, in my opinion, is a complete distortion of the truth about Michael Jackson, as I know and admire him."

Two of Mrs Ventura-Arvizo's other children, Star and Davellin, have also stayed at the star's Neverland ranch. She claims that Jackson is like a father to them and has been a tremendous help to Gavin, who has been battling cancer.

She said: "At no time has Gavin ever been treated with anything other than love, respect and the deepest kindness by Michael. Michael has been so important in Gavin being able to recover from cancer. His constant support, both practical and emotional, helped give my beautiful little boy the strength to fight his cancer."

Jackson's aides hope that the complaint by Gavin's mother will stem a wave of criticism engulfing the singer a week after the film was aired. His admission that he continues to share his bed with children, a decade after he was embroiled in a child sex lawsuit, is threatening to destroy his career and could yet be the subject of a police inquiry.

Critics, however, are bound to question Mrs Ventura-Arvizo's motives, particularly after she admitted receiving gifts from the star. She was unavailable for comment last night after being moved by the singer's aides to a secret location.

At the centre of the dispute is the boy's disclosure to Mr Bashir that he has shared the singer's bedroom and even slept in his bed. In the documentary, which was watched by more than 35 million viewers when it was broadcast again on American television on Thursday, Gavin told the reporter how he had slept in the bed while Jackson had slept on the floor.

Mr Bashir's subsequent questions about the boy's parents suggest that the reporter might not have spoken to them about the sleepovers. At one stage he asks: "Were your parents happy that you were here with Michael? Did they come with you?"

In the commentary towards the end of the documentary that has infuriated Gavin's mother, Mr Bashir states that he "felt very uneasy after this conversation".

The complaint is the latest in a series of controversies involving Mr Bashir, who came to prominence when he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales for the BBC's Panorama in 1995.

Granada Television insists that the programme was completed in accordance with proper procedures. A spokesman said: "We will be responding to the regulators when they raise these complaints with us. Until then it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."

The broadcaster refused to say last night whether permission had been sought from Gavin's parents but insisted that all proper procedures had been followed.

In 1994 Jackson was accused of molesting 13-year-old Jody Chandler. The star denied the allegations but paid the boy's parents £18 million to drop a civil case against him.

FYI...

found this on a similar thread on FARK.COM

prisoner6

Sunday Herald - 09 February 2003

ÔMichael is an angel ... I'm happy my kids stay with him'

Mother of Jackson's 12-year-old friend speaks out
By Karin Goodwin

The mother of Gavin Arvizo, the 12-year-old who sparked controversyÊbyÊrevealingÊhe shares a bedroom with Michael Jackson,ÊhasÊspokenÊoutÊin support of the beleaguered star.

JanetÊArvizoÊsaidÊsheÊis not worried and is happy leaving her children in Jackson's care. She added: ÒAll of my kids have stayed over with Michael. I am comfortable with that. They are happy with him and are hoping to travel the world with him. He is their angel.Ó

Surviving on benefits, single mother Arvizo brought up her threeÊchildrenÊDavelin,Ê16, Gavin, 12, and Star, 11, in a run-down district of Los Angeles before Jackson lifted the family out of poverty.

But it was Jamie Masada, who runs a summer camp for under privileged children which the Arvizos attended, who brought the family and Jackson together.

ÒThey were living in a stable with the hay and the horses for a long time,Ó Masada said.

When Gavin was diagnosed with cancer his spleen and one of his kidneys were removed and he was given just two weeks to live. Masada then asked him for a wish list of celebrities that he'd most like to meet.

Although Jackson came third onÊtheÊlist,ÊafterÊcomedians Adam Sandler and Chris Tucker, Masada contacted Quincy Jones who spoke to the singer and arranged a two-day visit for the family to the Neverland ranch.

The Arvizos now live in a comfortable flat and own a car paid for by Jackson and Gavin refersÊtoÊtheÊsingerÊasÊhis father, telling his mother: ÒI am living for my daddy, Michael.Ó

MasadaÊsaid:ÊÒNoÊmatter whatÊpeopleÊmayÊsayÊabout Michael Jackson, he came in and has helped this boy survive.

ÒGavin said they had fun and played games. Gavin is not a na•ve kid. He would have said if something bad had happened.Ó

In last week's documentary, Living With Michael Jackson, JacksonÊrevealedÊthatÊGavin and Star had shared his bed while he slept in a sleeping bag on the floor.

HeÊsaidÊheÊhadÊalsoÊhad child star Macaulay Culkin and his brothers and sisters to stay overnight, but said he believed he was doing nothing wrong.

ÒWhy can't you share your bed? The most loving thing to do is to share your bed with someone,Ó he said in the show.

Yet in light of sexual allegations made against Jackson in 1993, when a 13-year-old boy accused him of abuse, many find his revelations worrying.

The singer reached a multi-million-dollarÊout-of-court settlement with the boy's family and the case remains Òopen butÊinactiveÓ,ÊaccordingÊto Santa BarbaraÊCountyÊdistrict attorney Thomas Sneddon.

Although Sneddon said last week it was not an offence in California to sleep in the same bed as a minor, the charity Prevent Child Abuse in California is seeking further investigations .

President Gloria Gruber said: ÒIn light of the fact that 10 years ago there was a pro secution, which was then drop ped, leads us to further concern.

ÒWe did actually request the district attorney to launch an investigation and to interview children, as well as parents of children,ÊwhoÊdoÊallow Michael to sleep over .Ó

But there has been a rush to support the star. Debbie Rowe, theÊmotherÊofÊhisÊfirstÊtwo children, described him as a Òwonderful, loving, caring manÓ who had been misrepresented.

BritishÊmotherÊGaynor Morgan, the daughter of former ScotlandÊandÊManchester UnitedÊfootballerÊWillie Morgan, said Jackson had been condemnedÊtooÊquickly.Ê To show her faith in him she plans to visit Neverland later this year with her 10-year-old son .

SalesÊofÊMichaelÊJackson's Greatest Hits have soared byÊ1000%ÊfromÊlastÊweek, accordingÊtoÊmusicÊexperts, suggesting the public are still supporting the singer.

Jackson has complained to TVÊwatchdogsÊaboutÊhis portrayalÊinÊtheÊfilmÊandÊa statementÊreleasedÊonÊhis behalf said:Ê ÒMichaelÊJacksonÊhas never, and would never, treat a childÊinappropriatelyÊor expose them to any harm, andÊtotallyÊrefutesÊany suggestions to the contrary.Ó

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