Jackson was processed quickly
A British photographer covering the arrest of Michael Jackson was booked for trespass moments after the pop star was charged with alleged child abuse.
Los Angeles-based news agency Splash claimed to have the first pictures of Jackson after police revealed he was facing accusations of child abuse.
Photographers Wesley Hargrave and Tom Vickers snapped Jackson boarding his private Gulfstream jet last Thursday before flying to Santa Barbara to be arrested. The exclusive pictures were carried by newspapers and television stations around the world.
It was when Jackson’s aircraft touched down at Santa Barbara Airport that their colleague, Rotherham-born photographer Lee Madden, got into trouble. He hid in a private hangar before sneaking on board Jackson’s jet to photograph the interior. He was caught and later arrested for trespass.
Madden was booked and photographed six places after Jackson and given the number 621791. Jackson’s booking number was 621785.
Jackson was released after half an hour, but Madden was held in a crowded cell for more than nine hours.
He said: “I can’t believe it took nine hours to get out of the jail. There were some pretty scary characters in there. There were 20 of us in one small cell and we didn’t get any food or drink. Everyone was really annoyed that it was taking so long to process us and everyone was cursing Jackson.”
Splash claimed another exclusive when, 3,000 miles away in New York, reporter Paul Tetley and photographer Leigh Green tracked down the first alleged child abuse victim, Jordy Chandler, at an address in Manhattan.
By Dominic Ponsford
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