The family of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, have been rocked by an explosive documentary - Leaving Neverland - that claims the international star was a prolific child sex abuser. Now his older brother, Jermaine Jackson, has come to defend Michael – who died at the age of 50 in 2009 – and said his sleepovers with underage boys were ‘slumber parties’.

Jermaine JacksonJermaine Jackson has come out to defend his late brother

The 64-year-old wiped away tears as he said he was '1,000 per cent sure' his former Jackson 5 bandmate was innocent.

The film, set to air on Channel 4 this spring, makes several damning accusations of rape and sexual abuse against the singer, who died while preparing his comeback gig – the This is It tour.

The Jackson family have repeatedly rejected the claims, calling the documentary a 'public lynching'.

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Among the accusations in the film are that Jackson gave his young male victims jewellery in exchange for sexual acts and even had a mock wedding with one boy.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Jermaine asked for people to let Michael rest and said his family are ‘tired’.

He said: "We lost Michael, we lost our father. We are still mourning.

"We lost a lot, just leave us alone, leave him alone, let him rest. Please, let him rest. He deserves to rest."

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Asked about his brother having young boys to stay overnight at his ranch, Jermaine added: "Those were slumber parties. There were little girls there, even with their parents, their uncles, and they were sitting down, watching movies, eating cookies, popcorn, having fun, watching films.

"And Michael said, ‘Why do people relate the bed to sex?’ which shows you his innocence. Michael's a big kid."

The documentary, Leaving Neverland, features accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who have claimed for years they were raped and molested by the singer at his Neverland Ranch.

The film's director, Dan Reed, has said he has no doubts about the men's validity.