Jacko wants veto on court sketch
Mood:  incredulous

26/10/2004


Michael Jackson wants to be able to approve sketches drawn of him in court and even wants to handpick the court artist.

The self-proclaimed King of Pop is concerned that he could be made out to look strange unless he has control over the sketches and has asked his lawyers whether he can have "final approval", the Daily Star reports.

Jackson is due at court on child abuse charges and wants to make sure he is not portrayed in a bad light.

"Michael is well aware that he gets stick from critics and the media about his looks, his thinning hair, his pale looks for a black man and his odd-shaped nose," a source told the Star.

"He is seriously worried that since cameras can't go into the courtroom then the drawings might make him look like a freak or a clown. He wanted an artist who would draw him in a flattering light."

But court officials are unlikely to succumb to the pop star's demands, insisting that he will be treated the same as anyone else ordered to attend court.

"We do not allow defendants to choose who does the daily sketches," a spokesman for the Santa Monica court told the newspaper.

"The judges will not even hear an application to that effect."

Jackson denies all ten charges against him.

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