Drug expert claims Jackson swallowed sedative

A drug expert has come to the defense of Dr. Conrad Murray in his involuntary manslaughter trial, telling a court Michael Jackson could have swallowed up to eight extra sedative pills without the medic's knowledge.

Murray's lawyers called their final witness, Dr. Paul White, to testify at Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday (27Oct11) and he continued giving evidence on Friday (28Oct11), when Jackson family friends Rick and Kathy Hilton were among those sitting in on the hearing.

White asserted it is reasonable to assume the King of Pop could helped himself to additional doses of the sedative lorazepam in the early hours of 25 June, 2009, after failing to fall asleep. He also claimed his scenario was in line with the results of Jackson's autopsy, which found blood levels of lorazepam far higher than the two doses that Murray admits to administering on the day the superstar died.

The expert told the court, "The fact that there is even a tiny amount of free lorazepam (in the stomach) is consistent with the theory that he took lorazepam orally."

Murray stands accused of involuntary manslaughter amid accusations he gave Jackson the fatal dose of Propofol which resulted in his death.

He has denied the charge and his lawyers maintain Jackson self-administered the drug by taking additional doses orally when the medic was not in the room.

The trial is due to resume on Monday (31Oct11), when the prosecution is expected to begin their cross-examination of the defence's witnesses.