The Neverland Train Station Discrepancy
Apr 9, 2019
James Safechuck, in his civil complaint, states that Michael Jackson abused him from 1988 until 1992, when he was between the ages of 10 and 14.
In the Leaving Neverland documentary, James recounts being sexually abused by Michael Jackson in various places, including the upstairs room of the train station. It's important to clarify that James didn't allege they engaged in sexual activity in the train station daily, but was referring to the abuse in its entirety after it began.
Watch the clip below.
However, Mike Smallcombe, a journalist from Newquay, Cornwall, who authored the pro-Jackson book "Making Michael" in 2016, asserts that he has uncovered evidence indicating that the train station did not begin construction until late 1993.
On his Twitter account, Smallcombe posted a screenshot of the permit, which clearly indicates it was approved in September 1993 by the Santa Barbara Planning Department.
In response, Dan Reed commented:
"Yeah there seems to be no doubt about the station date. The date they have wrong is the end of the abuse.“
Smallcombe perceived this as an admission by Dan Reed that he had made an error. Tabloids subsequently ran the story with the headline: "Leaving Neverland director admits James Safechuck made mistake in Michael Jackson claims," all citing "according to Mike Smallcombe."
Later, Dan Reed posted a second tweet stating:
"1. James Safechuck was at Neverland both before and after the construction of the train station there. The two still photos of the station shown in #leavingneverland were in fact taken by James, who is very clear that he was abused by Jackson in multiple places over many years."
"2. #leavingneverland also makes clear that sexual contact between James and #MichaelJackson continued until James Safechuck was in his teenage years. The station at Neverland is just one of the many locations where James remembers sexual activity taking place."
He even responded to the Daily Mail by stating:
"Admitted what?? Safechuck was at Neverland after the train station was completed. He even took photos of the station, we put two of these in the film. And he’s clear in the documentary that the sexual contact with Jackson continued into his teens...".
Indeed, it is undeniable that James was at Neverland both before and after the construction of the specific train station. However, as highlighted by Mike Smallcombe, James indicated in his civil complaint that the abuse occurred between 1988 and 1992.
First, let's consider the possibility that James claimed he was molested at a place that was not constructed until at least a year after he stated the abuse had ended.
Are supporters of Michael Jackson justified in labelling James as a liar (and other disparaging terms), and dismissing all other allegations of abuse?
The brief answer is no. Decades of research and numerous sexual abuse survivors all attest to the fact that genuine victims of sexual abuse can indeed make errors, including in recalling timeframes and locations. The BBC has published an insightful article titled "Why sexual assault survivors forget details."
Here is a direct quote from the article's fifth point:
Traumatic experiences scramble your memories: maybe you’ve misremembered what happened
"Many people who have been raped or sexually assaulted often claim to have vivid memories of certain images, sounds and smells associated with the attack – even if happened decades earlier. Yet when asked to recall exactly what time of day it was, or who and what was where at any given time – the kinds of details police and prosecutors often focus on to establish the facts of a crime – they may struggle or contradict themselves, undermining their testimony."
“There is this tragic discrepancy between what is expected within the criminal justice system and the nature of trauma memories and how people are likely to be reporting them,” says Amy Hardy, a clinical psychologist at Kings College London."
Former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Kenneth V. Lanning shared his perspective on the issue of inconsistencies related to multiple sexual acts over an extended period:
"Allegations involving multiple acts, on multiple occasions, over an extended period of time must be evaluated in their totality and context. Cases involving longterm sexual contact with child victims who engaged in compliant behavior should not be assessed and evaluated by comparisons to cases involving isolated, forced sexual assaults."
"Indicators suggesting a false allegation in a typical rape case have little application to the evaluation of most acquaintance, child-molestation cases, especially those involving repeated access and prolonged sexual activity. Such child molestation cases are very hard to classify as either a valid or false allegation. Victim claims may include allegations that appear to be false, but that does not mean the case can be labeled in totality as “a false allegation."
"In my experience, many valid claims of child sexual molestation, especially those by this type of child victim, involve delayed disclosures, inconsistencies, varying accounts, exaggerations, and lies often associated with false allegations. Inconsistencies in allegations are significant but can sometimes be explained by factors other than that the allegation is false. What is consistent and logical in these circumstances must be based on experience and knowledge of cases similar to the case being evaluated."
"Any indicators of a potential false claim must be applicable to the type of case in question and not based on cases involving one-time, violent sexual assaults. There is a difference between an unsubstantiated/unproven allegation and a false allegation. There may be many reasons to believe the allegations are not accurate and should not sustain a conviction in court beyond a reasonable doubt, but that does not mean the allegations of sexual victimization can be labeled as totally “false.” Labeling an allegation as false should mean nothing of a criminal/sexual nature occurred between the child victim and the alleged adult offender at any time."
Oprah Winfrey, a survivor of sexual abuse, has been questioned about whether her support for Leaving Neverland has wavered in light of the train station date findings.
She continued by stating:
"You wanna know why I've not wavered?" she said. "Because I've had girls at my school who were sexually assaulted and abused, and I have never won a case. And the reason why I have never won a case is because when you put a girl on the witness stand, and she can't remember was it Thursday or Wednesday, it's automatically discredited."
"And so, when you're in the midst of trauma, some terrible things happening to you, you may not remember the exact time. It's why, if I hear like a noise or something at my house, I'll like, look at the time, 'cause they're gonna ask what time was it, 'oh my god what time is it?'".
"If you can't remember the day and the time and the dada dada, everybody's like 'Well, okay, I guess it never happened'. I've been through that, so no."
Also factor in the sheer size of Neverland, spanning a massive 2700 acres, which included numerous buildings, outbuildings, a medium-sized funfair, gardens, a lake, and a zoo. If the average sexual abuse victim can get factual details wrong, then the same applies to James, who was subjected to a far more complex environment than the average adolescent.
As already pointed out by Dan Reed, James maintained a limited relationship with Jackson up until his midteens, as evident by the pictures of the train station, which James took himself. Furthermore, in his civil complaint, James emphasizes how he was hired to work on Jackson's "Earth" song in 1995 and his relationship beyond that.
6. Continuing into the 1990's, when I became a preteen and then a teenager, I still spent a lot of time with the DECEDENT, travelling with him, working with him, being his friend and confidante, and in effect, being his regular companion. He was everything to me and my life. I worked with the DECEDENT and saw and spoke to him all the time. I knew that we had a very special relationship. That never changed even as I got older. The last working experience I had with the DECEDENT was in 1995 when he and/or DOES 2 and 3 employed me as an intern/shadow director for DECEDENT's "Earthsong" video. I was also a wardrobe double for the DECEDENT, and I was actually in the video--my hand appears in the video punching the ground.
1995 and beyond:
7. In the years after 1995, my relationship with the DECEDENT changed and our constant contact began to taper off. In 1997, when I was 19, I enrolled in Moorpark Community College because I thought a community college would be easier for me to try to get good enough grades so I could try get into USC. I was never able to do that, and was never able to get the university education I had always wanted, because of the DECEDENT's overpowering influence over me and my parents.
Read James's civil complaint here: MJFacts.com
It's entirely possible that James was subjected to sexual abuse, whether it was just once or twice beyond 1993, particularly at the train station when he was in his midteens, but due to the intricate nature of child sex abuse, combined with the trauma of having to remember traumatic events, led to James confusing the timing.
Naturally, Jackson apologists have concocted ridiculous excuses for this scenario, including that James would have been too old, too tall and that Jackson wasn't permanently living at Neverland Ranch between 94 and 96. However, I don't think a deprived child molester with a preference for males would really care whether James was slightly outside his preferred age range, or that he was slightly taller than him. After all, semen stains from two unidentified males were found on Jackson's bed in 2004. As for Jackson not living at the Ranch for an extended period? That's a weak argument. Jackson was free to travel if and when he chose, as evident during his attendance at the so-called "Children's World Summit" at Neverland Ranch in April 1995.
Information obtained from a Spanish Jackson fan website indicates that there were indeed two miniature trains operating at Neverland, along with multiple train stations. However, those which served the smaller train, where nothing more than gazebo type structures.
Installation of the smaller electric powered CP Huntington train was carried out by Rob Swinson on October 30, 1990. This train was predominantly used to transport people from the main gates to the funfair and zoo.
In 1973, a steam train was constructed by Crown Metal Products and initially utilized at Carowinds Park in Paramount, North Carolina. Subsequently, in April 1993, Jackson acquired and extensively customized this train and gave it the name "Katherine".
On November 20, 1993, this second, larger train was installed, following Jackson's purchase six months prior. Significant modifications, including the laying of a new track to address friction in the corners, were undertaken to accommodate this train. Spanning approximately 1 mile, the track extended across the top of Neverland before looping back (see video here).
In essence, a train was operational at Neverland since at least autumn 1990, and it was later joined by a more grandiose model in late 1993. It's fairly obvious that the grand train station was constructed to accommodate the newly installed train during that year.
An article in the Chippewa Herald Telegram dated Tuesday, December 14, 1993, featured a black-and-white image of the main Neverland train station under construction. A similar image can also be found on CBS News.
Furthermore, an aerial photograph captured by Steven D Starr with a created date of 25 August, 1993 reveals the absence of a train station. Instead, it shows a set of stairs, a floral clock made of plants, and the foundations for the track.
Perhaps the strongest evidence that there was no grand train station until at least after 1992, is aerial footage from Liz Taylor’s wedding on October 6, 1991, which was held at Neverland Ranch. Footage from a helicopter, shows the train station site, with no train station. However, it does show that the ground has been flattened, possibly in preparation.
It looks that way, but before we call James a liar, or refuse to accept that he may have simply muddled up a location or his end of abuse timeframe, let's listen to what other people have said regarding the station.
A book titled: “Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson” which has a paragraph that states:
"Reporters invited to tour Neverland at the 1990 public unveiling most often began by inspecting the towering statue of Mercury (the Roman God of profit, trade and commerce) in the drive of the mansion...Then climbed a hill out back that led to a near replica of the Main Street train station at Disneyland, with a floral clock that was more magnificent than the one Walt Disney had designed for his own park."
In another book titled: "In Remembering The Time: Protecting Michael Jackson In His Final Days," former bodyguards of Jackson, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard both describe a train station being there for the big unveiling.
The book states:
"In 1990, Michael Jackson opened the gates of his Neverland Valley Ranch to the public for the first time...Neverland's visitors entered the ranch at its train station, boarding a steam engine that took them up to the main house."
Of course, anybody writing a book could have simply relied on data and references depicting Neverland in its final days, which would have included the train station. In fact, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard didn't work for Jackson until late 2006, therefore they have no first-hand experience of what Neverland looked like.
However, one book that you cannot easily dismiss is by one of Michael Jackson's former "special friends" Frank Cassio.
In Frank’s book titled: “My Friend Michael”, he talks about his first visit to Neverland in the spring of 1993, where he describes a train station.
"Then, in 1993, my relationship with Michael reached a new level when, for the first time, he invited my family to visit him at his home, Neverland Ranch."
"For years we’d known that Michael had been building a residence in California. Often, as he was overseeing the construction of the ranch, he would say, “You should come to Neverland. There’s a movie theater, a zoo, some amusement park rides. There are no rules at Neverland. You can do whatever you want, just relax and be free..."
"When we finally arrived at the gate to Neverland, we were met by security. The driver said, “We have the Cascio family here,” and the security guard opened the gate."
"As if the drive from Los Angeles hadn’t been enough of an endurance challenge for six young children, once we entered the gate we still had to travel the long road up to the house. Now, though, we were, at last, in Neverland, and it truly was another world. Beautiful classical music alternating with the soundtracks from Disney movies like Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast played throughout the property. There were sycamore trees, flowers, fountains, and acres and acres of some of the most beautiful landscapes in America. The driveway curved past a train station on the right, a lake on the left. There were bronze statues of children playing, and we were surrounded by mountains on all sides. It was stunning. Neverland was by far the most magical place I’d ever been. It still is."
Source: jetzi-mjvideo.com
Frank could be describing one of the smaller gazebo style train stations (see a map of Neverland here), however, given the fact that they are insignificant in size, would such a small structure have caught his attention in a place littered with grander attractions? Maybe, or maybe not.
Now, let's discuss Harrison Funk, Jackson's former photographer, who, in a MJ Cast podcast, which was published on the 11th of February 2019 on YouTube, nearly a month before Leaving Neverland's TV release, recounts capturing photographs of the attractions at Neverland, including the grand train station.
Funk states:
"They gave him a really hard time about the train to, and I remember when they built the train station, I went up there to photograph the property, and umm, he wasn't there, and I was up there photographing the statues. He had animals placed on the lawn in front of the train station. I was up there for three days, just photographing statues, in situ and also the train station and I get a message to call him [Jackson] and he said, don't photograph the train station. I said why and he said, just don't photograph the train station. I said okay and then he calls me back and says I need to talk to you, but can't on this line because I don't know who's listening. And apparently he didn't want the train station photographed because he put it up without a permit, initially and was fighting with the county or whatever about it being there. Of course, they let it be there. I think you know whatever he had to do to make it stay, he made it stay. It was beautiful. It was an absolutely beautiful building. I think it's still there."
Listen to the clip below.
Harrison Funk vividly recalls how Jackson contacted him and explicitly instructed him not to photograph the train station, disclosing that it was constructed without a permit. However, according to Mike Smallcombe's findings, the Santa Barbara planning department indeed issued a permit in September 1993, without question.
So, what does this mean? Harrison Funk's remarks strongly suggest that a grand train station existed in some form at an earlier date, which then would have been demolished to make way for a similar station to serve the new, larger train. While there is no concrete evidence to corroborate this, such as video or photographic, his comments are, at the very least, intriguing.
Unfortunately, as part of Jackson's inner circle, Harrison Funk has not come to the defence of James Safechuck or confirmed the existence of a train station in any form before its official construction permit.
Harrison insists that the conversation he had with Jackson occurred in June 1994. However, when I confronted him on Twitter about the impossibility of this claim, citing the train station's September 1993 permit and photographic evidence released by the press in December 1993, which indicated that the train station was not a secret and therefore did not need to be hidden from public view, I was met with idiotic responses.
There's even a fan theory, that the conversation that Harrison had with Jackson was in relation to minor modifications to the train station that Jackson had made without allegedly informing the planning department. While it's true that the finished train station slightly deviates from the original plans, this too can be thoroughly debunked. Alterations, which included two end extensions and a large bay window were approved as early as January 1994, plus the photograph from Chippewa Herald Telegram, shows these changes. Simply put, there was no secret to hide.
Is Harrison Funk credible? Absolutely not, but if he wants to maintain that Jackson told him this story, that's fine by me, as it clearly contradicts Mike Smallcombe's findings.
Supporters of Jackson may argue that James is undoubtedly referring to the main Neverland train station, as shown in the documentary. However, Mike Smallcombe contradicted himself in "Chase the Truth" regarding this assertion.
As previously mentioned, victims of child sexual abuse can easily misidentify the locations of abuse, particularly in a sprawling environment like Neverland ranch, which housed at least 50 to 100 different buildings and structures by the mid-1990s.
For instance, an intriguing article originally published on January 9, 1992, by Rolling Stone provides a detailed description of Jackson’s Neverland ranch. The article mentions a "train room" accessible via a narrow staircase, housing model Lionel train sets and other equipment.
This is a direct quote:
"A narrow staircase leads up to the train room, half of which is filled with an elaborate Lionel set. In addition to the trains on the track, there are more in unopened boxes on the floor. Another part of the room is covered with race-car tracks. Standing against the walls are larger than life Bart Simpson cardboard cut-outs and Roger Rabbit displays, along with an E.T. video display packed with copies of the tape. Peter Pan and Mickey Mouse and Bambi quilts lie on the floor. “The kids have slumber parties up here,” says one of Jackson’s employees as he takes me through the house."
Source: rollingstone.com
This falls within James’s timeframe of abuse, and the article confirms it to be an upstairs room where Jackson had "slumber parties" with children.
Considering post-traumatic stress disorder, James’s memories may have simply confused a "train room" with the main Neverland train station, which he visited at a later date.
Another interesting building, which could have been referred to as the train station, was located at the far end of Neverland Ranch. This building, was used as a storage and maintenance base for the smaller train. Though I can only find 2 photos, of the building, there is a strong possibility that there was a loft space, which could have been accessed by a flight of stairs. It's highly likely that this building existed within James's timeframe, as the small train was installed in late 1990.
A train and multiple train stations certainly existed within James Safechuck's timeframe of abuse; however, it is unlikely that the grand train station was among them.
Regardless, the existence or non-existence of the train station does not discredit James's entire story of abuse. It's far more detailed and complex than just a single building.
You could also argue that if James were fabricating false molestation claims for financial gain, he would have been more meticulous in ensuring his story was watertight. The fact that there is a discrepancy in his story leans more in his favour, and the reality that he is a long-term victim trying to piece together traumatic events spanning years.
For example, in a civil trial involving a breach of contract in November 2002, Michael Jackson himself exhibited several inconsistencies during his testimony. His lawyer said: "it is understandable that Jackson can't remember every detail of an agreement worked out a few years ago, because he deals with thousands of letters, phone calls, and agents every day." Obviously, it's a bit of an overstatement, claiming he deals with "thousands" of issues every single day, but you get the point.