Mark Lester: 'Nothing Malicious Behind Michael Jackson Daughter Claim'

Mark Lester has said there was “nothing malicious” behind his decision to reveal that he may be the father of Michael Jackson's daughter Paris.

In an interview with celebrity website TMZ, Lester also said it was “highly unlikely” he would take legal action over his paternity claim.

On Sunday, Lester, a former child actor and long-time friend of the singer, told the News of the World he had donated sperm to Jackson in the mid-1990s.

He said he believed he was Paris' father because of physical similarities between the 11-year-old, who was born in 1998, and his own daughter, Harriet.

But his claim has reportedly been played down by the Jackson family, whose lawyer was quoted as saying the former actor's words had been “twisted around”.

Lester is godfather to Paris and Jackson’s two other children, Prince Michael, 12, and seven-year-old Blanket.

He told the newspaper on Sunday he had come forward because his regular contact with the children had been severed in the wake of the singer’s death in June.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, was awarded guardianship of the singer's three children by a Los Angeles judge earlier this month.

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