Michael Jackson said he would ‘rather kill himself than never see a child again’ in never-before-heard clip

A previously unheard clip has revealed Michael Jackson saying he would rather 'kill himself' if he couldn't see a child again.

The first episode of a four-part documentary series, titled Michael Jackson: The Trial, airs tonight (4 February) on Channel 4 and will revisit the 2005 court case which saw the 'Thriller' singer charged with child molestation against then teenager Gavin Arvizo.

Jackson, then 46, was charged with child molestation, child intoxication and accusations he conspired to commit extortion and plotted to hold the accuser's family captive – all of which he was later acquitted of.

Despite the 'not guilty' verdict, allegations of child abuse continued to linger over Jackson's career until his death in 2009 at the age of 50.

Now, never-before-heard audio clips of Jackson's comments have been released ahead of the documentary premiering, revealing the King of Pop's 'uneasy' thoughts towards children.

In one particularly ominous clip, Jackson can be heard saying he'd 'rather kill himself than never see a child again' as well as suggesting that minors would gravitate towards him.

"If you told me right now, Michael, you could never see another child…I would kill myself," Jackson says in one clip, which had been revealed by The New York Post earlier this year.

A report from Deadline has since confirmed the audio clips were taken from a conversation between Jackson and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, whom the singer had previously turned to for spiritual guidance, and will feature in the second episode of the four-part series.

Meanwhile, other clips hear him claim 'children want to just touch me and hug me' and 'kids end up falling in love with my personality, sometimes it gets me into trouble'.

The documentary is said to feature further unearthed clips and conversations with those closest to Jackson – who speak both favourably and critically of the singer.

The series covers Jackson's 2005 trial, which saw him acquitted on 10 counts of child abuse (Kevork Djansezian-Pool/Getty Images)

What was Michael Jackson accused of in 2005?

The trial People v. Jackson saw the singer face accusations of 10 counts of abuse, which are:

• Four counts of molesting a minor
• Four counts of intoxicating a minor to molest him
• One count of attempted child molestation
• One count of conspiring to hold the Arvizo family captive and conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction

Witnesses in Jackson's defence included Macaulay Culkin, who Jackson had previously admitted to sharing a bed with the Home Alone actor and his brother Kieran at his Neverland estate, with the actor calling the allegations against Jackson 'absolutely ridiculous', according to a transcript of his testimony published in Vanity Fair.

Jackson was previously accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, when Los Angeles dentist and screenwriter Evan Chandler accused him of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son. The case was later settled.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.