As they began their rebuttal case against Michael Jackson Wednesday, prosecutors asked to screen a July 2003 videotaped interview of the pop star’s teenage accuser telling law enforcement officers that he was molested.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon made the request after Jackson’s defense attorneys rested their case. Sneddon said the tape will debunk defense claims that the boy’s allegations against Jackson were contrived and “scripted.”

Jackson’s defense opposed the request, arguing that the hour-long police interview is inappropriate as rebuttal evidence. They also indicated that the accuser, who testified as a prosecution witness in March, may be recalled if the tape is played to jurors.

Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville was expected to rule on the request today.

Source: Santa Maria Times