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28 Feb 17:50

Neverland train station

by neverlandtrainstation

The allegations made by one of the “Leaving Neverland” prosecutors that Michael Jackson sexually abused James Safechuck at the Neverland Ranch train station may have been substantiated by details from two of Jackson’s bodyguards.

Safechuck’s statements from 2014 were criticized for containing various inconsistencies . The accuser in the documentary alleged that Jackson sexually abused him from 1988 to 1992, including upstairs at the Neverland Ranch train station.

Michael Jackson biographer Mike Smallcombe recently criticized the 41-year-old’s claims , pointing out in a post of planning permission that the train station was only approved in 1993 and opened a year later.

Reports have now been uncovered by two of the King of Pop’s former bodyguards, which seem to suggest the station was operational before that.

In their book, Remembering The Time 2014: Protecting Michael Jackson In His Final Days, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard recount that “In 1990, Michael Jackson opened the gates of his Neverland Valley ranch to the public for the first time.”

It goes on to say, “Neverland’s visitors entered the ranch at their train station and boarded a steam engine that took them to the main house.”

US author Randall Sullivan independently confirmed the date in his 2012 biography, The Strange Life And Tragic Death Of Michael Jackson.

“Reporters invited to tour Neverland at the 1990 public unveiling most commonly began by inspecting the towering statue of Mercury (the Roman god of profit, commerce, and commerce) while driving through the mansion.”

The documentary’s director, Dan Reed , tweeted about a possible error regarding the dates, admitting that “there is no doubt about the station’s date”. Responding to Smallcombe’s criticism, Reed posted, “The date you are wrong about is the end of the abuse.”

In an additional statement, the filmmaker said the documents did not conflict with the claims made in the film, as allegations of sexual abuse continued after the station was built. “James Safechuck was present at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Valley Ranch both before and after the construction of the station there,” Reed said, continuing:

“The two stills of the train station featured in the documentary were taken by Safechuck and provided to the filmmaker by him. Safechuck’s testimony in the film is that he was molested by Jackson in multiple places over a number of years, well into his teens.”

Of course, $22 million is an insane amount of money, and yet that sum seems downright ridiculous when you see what billionaire Ronald Burkle got for it: an eleven square kilometer estate with a French-style mansion that cost $100 million five years ago dollars have been proclaimed. Now Burkle, who owns supermarkets and is famous for owning the Pittsburgh Penguins, paid less than a quarter for it — and he says he bought Sycamore Valley Ranch just for the property.

To understand what happened there, you should know that this property was once owned by Michael Jackson. He bought it in 1988 for $17 million, renamed it “Neverland Ranch” in homage to Peter Pan, and converted it into an amusement park for $35 million. There were several roller coasters, a ferris wheel, a movie theater, a lagoon, and this train station that looked like the one at the entrance to Disneyland. The guest book, held by a statue of a butler at the entrance, read like a list of the important people in Hollywood some 200 kilometers away.

Often much more is paid for properties like this than the land and real estate are worth. The “Playboy Mansion,” for example, was bought by billionaire Daren Metropoulos for $100 million – not necessarily because the Tudor-style mansion was so beautifully preserved, but because of what happened and is said to have happened there. In August 2018, the media group HGTV didn’t just pay $3.5 million for a house in Studio City, but because the series “The Brady Bunch” was filmed in it and the house is considered the most photographed in the USA. It’s no coincidence that George Clooney is now staying at the mansion.

Photos show what Michael Jackson’s († 50) Neverland Ranch looks like today: it looks like the former children’s paradise again after the billionaire and friend of Bill Clinton took over the once run-down property.
After the death of the King of Pop († 50) twelve years ago, his once pompous property in California’s Ynez Valley, which is really impressive at 2700 hectares, rotted away. A year ago, in December 2020, Bill Clinton ‘s billionaire friend Ron Burkle bought the famous Neverland Ranch for $22 million and restored it.

How does Neverland Ranch look today?

The exclusive images, available from Dailymail, show that the businessman has captured the subject in great detail: there’s still a giant slide, the spinning teacups and villain Captain Hook’s pirate ship. Because when naming Michael Jackson was inspired by the children’s story ” Peter Pan “, which is about the boy who never grows up.

In addition to the amusement park, the property used to have a zoo, a Ferris wheel and train tracks that stretched across the country – a real childhood dream that the King of Pop fulfilled. The Ferris wheel and some other rides have been auctioned off, but the train tracks are set to be fully restored, according to Burkle. And the billionaire also wants to reinstall the famous no-man’s-land clock and the train station.

Why so cheap?

Burkle paid almost $80 million less than originally asked for the property. The ranch has been on the market from time to time since 2016. But probably hard to sell, because Jackson was indicted on seven counts of child molestation during the said period – just not a good taste. For the businessman and former financial adviser to Jackson, however, this was a positive outcome, because he was able to go all out with the renovation. Find out what Neverland Ranch looks like today on Dailymail .