Michael Jackson's friend defends singer's accusers over Leaving Neverland documentary

'We've never heard allegations that were this detailed'

Michael Jackson's friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has defended Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men who have accused the singer of sexual abuse in the documentary Leaving Neverland.

Boteach, who published a set of taped interviews with Jackson following the star's death, said that he believes Robson and Safechuck are not lying about being molested as children.

"I don't believe these men are lying, and I don't believe that the shame and guilt being experienced by their parents in general, maybe their mothers, in particular, is feigned," Boteach told Australian news show A Current Affair.

“We've never heard allegations that were this detailed. We've never really seen the faces of the accusers as they make these allegations, and we've never really heard the family members who had to shoulder that pain.”

The Jackson estate has called Leaving Neverland a “public lynching” and are suing HBO – who co-produced the film with Channel 4 – for $100 million.

Boteach was friends with Jackson between 1999 and 2001. Although he insisted that he had no idea whether previous allegations against the singer were true, he decided to sever their friendship.

“I wasn't a fan, I was a friend. I wasn't a hanger-on. I was a rabbi, and I felt that I had to leave, and that's when I severed our relationship,” he said.

“I didn't know if to believe it or not. We didn't know. What I did know was, that regardless of whether it was true or not, Michael could never again really be around children.

Media watchdog Ofcom recently dismissed complaints against Leaving Neverland, concluding: “In our view, the allegations were very clearly presented as personal testimonies and it was made clear that the Jackson family rejects them.”