Santa Maria (California), April 16 (Reuters): The mother of Michael Jackson?s accuser spent much of yesterday on the witness stand bickering with the pop star?s lead attorney as he attacked her credibility and she shot back that Neverland was a den of ?booze, pornography and sex with boys.?

In a day-long cross-examination by lead defence attorney Tom Mesereau that often deteriorated into squabbling, she took every opportunity to slam Jackson and responded with long, rambling asides that aggravated Mesereau and even the judge. At one point the woman, instead of answering a question by Mesereau, accused the 46-year-old Jackson of going to great lengths to hide his drinking.

?How foolish I was that I thought he didn?t drink,? she said. ?Now I know that Neverland is all about booze, pornography and sex with boys.?

Jackson, sitting across the courtroom at the defence table, shook his head at the outburst. Superior Court judge Rodney Melville ordered it struck from the record. Jackson has been charged with giving the woman?s son alcohol in order to molest him.

The exchanges between Mesereau and the woman became so testy ? with occasional interjections by prosecutor Ron Zonen ? that Melville at one point threatened to halt the trial. ?Do you want me to shut this trial down this afternoon?? the judge said. ?Let's start taking this seriously.?

Earlier, the judge admonished both Mesereau and the woman as she defended what she called her scripted statements on a so-called rebuttal tape, made by Jackson?s aides in response to a 2003 documentary about the pop icon. ?I?m a poor actress,? the mother said. Mesereau shot back: ?Oh, I think you?re a good one.?

In the documentary, Jackson defended his practice of sharing his bed with children and was seen holding hands with the boy who became his accuser.