SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- Over vigorous objections by Michael Jackson's attorneys, the judge in the pop star's child molestation trial allowed the prosecution to introduce into evidence books seized in a 1993 search of the singer's home that show nude pictures of adolescent boys.
The defense had argued that the material was too prejudicial and remote in time from the current criminal charges involving alleged incidents with a 13-year-old boy in 2003.
But Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville said the "probative value" of the books exceeds any possible prejudicial effect.
Melville said the books would be considered sexually explicit under California law. However, the police detective who found them testified that Jackson could legally possess the books.
One of the books, titled "The Boy: A Photographic Essay," contains an inscription signed by "M.J." that reads: "Look at the true spirit of happiness and joy in the boys' faces. This is the spirit of boyhood, a life I've never had and will always dream of. This is the life I want for my children."
The cover shows four young boys in underwear jumping into water, one with his hand on his crotch.
The second book, titled "Boys Will Be Boys," has an affectionate inscription indicating it was given to Jackson by a fan identified as "RHonDA."
The books were found in a locked file cabinet in a closet in Jackson's bedroom during a search in 1993, Los Angeles Police Detective Rosibel Ferrufino-Smith testified.
At the time, authorities in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties were investigating allegations that Jackson molested a 13-year-old boy. The criminal probe ended when the boy's family reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with Jackson in which the entertainer admitted no guilt.
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