The Psychosexual Therapist Who Lost the Plot on Talk Radio

Feb 15, 2022

You might think you’ve seen and heard everything by now, yet every so often something new emerges that highlights just how toxic certain Michael Jackson fans can be. This time, it was a caller named Ben from Cornwall, who phoned Talk Radio host Cristo Foufas in April 2021 to share his views on Leaving Neverland and its subjects, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.

The show opened with a video call from Anika Kotecha, co‑founder of the misinformation website mjinnocent.com. She repeated the familiar claim that “it was always about money” and recommended the fan‑made documentary Square One to the host. The exchange remained polite, though it was far from factual. Notably, the site’s other co‑founder, Seány O’Kane — a long‑standing Jackson devotee and outspoken defender from Northern Ireland — was absent from the interview, despite promoting Kotecha’s appearance on Twitter.

Watch Anika’s performance below.

After Anika’s lacklustre performance, attention shifted to Ben. He fits the profile of a non‑fan who was initially persuaded by Leaving Neverland. However, after carrying out his own research into the allegations — including watching Square One — he concluded that Michael Jackson was innocent.

Unlike many fans and non‑fans, who often have limited understanding of sexual abuse and mental health, Ben from Cornwall presents himself differently. He claims to be a psychosexual therapist, suggesting he has years of professional experience.

Ben starts the conversation calmly, but within minutes he begins making questionable statements. This quickly escalates into a series of aggressive attacks on Wade and James, all while insisting he is speaking as a mental health professional.

In the video, Ben makes the following claims:

• The makers of Leaving Neverland predicted that dozens of other accusers would come forward.
• The average child molester has 250 victims in their lifetime.
• Square One is a compelling film and everybody should watch it on Amazon prime, while calling Leaving Neverland a one-sided hit piece (because Square One obviously isn’t).
• Michael Jackson wouldn’t have put Wade Robson on the stand if he had been abused.
• Wade Robson said he visited Neverland ranch 14 times and was molested hundreds of times, but his mother states they stayed considerably less than that.
• That the overwhelming number of children who stayed in his bedroom say nothing criminal happened (the host was quite shocked by this statement, by the way).
• Wade and James are not only motivated to make false allegations, but even encouraged by their solicitors because they could receive hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Wade and James have also falsely accused Michael Jackson’s companies of facilitating the abuse which has directly affected other innocent individuals, including old ladies.
• Wade and James should be charged with perjury and locked up.
• James said he was sexually abused hundreds of times in a location that didn’t exist until three years after his stated date (referring to the Neverland train station).
• Ben even goes on to recommend “Whatever Happens,” from the invincible album, even though he’s only just become a fan of Michael Jackson since the release of Leaving Neverland (shot yourself in the foot there didn’t you, Ben).

Watch Ben’s 15 minute performance below.

I’ll admit, Ben’s comments left me caught somewhere between amusement and disgust. Even so, I decided to look up what a psychosexual therapist actually does, just in case it meant something entirely different — something along the lines of being a Michael Jackson superfan pretending to be someone else to idolise a dead celebrity.

According to counselling-directory.org.uk:

And:

With that in mind, we can now look at some of Ben’s more serious criticisms and consider how well they stand up to scrutiny.

“Dozens of Accusers Didn’t Come Forward”

Since Leaving Neverland is now three years old, I can’t recall every detail of what Dan Reed did or didn’t say on this point. However, an article published by NME on 1 March 2019 quoted him as saying:

This isn’t the “dozens” that Ben claims, but does that distinction really matter? Five accusers, collectively alleging hundreds of incidents of abuse, is already extremely serious.

It’s also important to remember that Michael Jackson was not simply an opportunistic abuser. He groomed and manipulated young boys over time, drawing them into close, bed‑sharing relationships. These were boys who idolised him — and whose parents often did too.

Ben may also be overlooking the wider hostility within parts of the Michael Jackson fan community. This isn’t limited to social media; it includes people putting banners on buses and calling radio stations to deliver harsh, dismissive commentary. Behaviour like this can have a real impact on victims, potentially discouraging others from coming forward.

“Child Molesters Have 250 Victims”

Seriously, Ben? You didn’t just happen to pull that from Square One, did you.

Different countries report different statistics on the “average” number of victims associated with child sexual offenders, and most professional safeguarding guidelines don’t attempt to give a single universal figure.

Darkness to Light, an organisation focused on preventing child sexual abuse, notes that:

• Around 70% of child sexual offenders have between one and nine victims.
• Around 20% have between ten and forty victims.

They also emphasise that children subjected to non‑contact sexual acts — such as exhibitionism, exposure to pornography, voyeurism, or sexually explicit communication by phone or online — are still victims of abuse.

There have been public allegations that Michael Jackson engaged in inappropriate phone conversations (Terry George) and showed children material that was not age‑appropriate (Corey Feldman).

“Square One Is a Compelling Film”

No — it’s a fan‑made film, created by a stan and featuring other stans.

Rather than repeat the same points yet again, I’ve already written several posts about Square One. That includes the highly questionable Sodium Amytal claim, which suggests Jordan Chandler’s father somehow implanted “months and months” of detailed false memories in just a couple of hours.

You can find everything here: /category/square-one/

“Wade Wouldn’t Have Been Put on the Stand If He Had Been Abused”

Wade Robson states in Leaving Neverland:

From Child molesters: A Behavioral Analysis:

And:

Issuing a subpoena to Wade and effectively compelling him to testify was undoubtedly a major risk. Even so, it was a step Jackson and his legal team felt they had to take. If Wade refused to support his friend—especially after his own mother urged him to do so—that refusal alone could have been interpreted as an admission that something improper had taken place.

At the time, Wade was a 22‑year‑old with a rising career and a new marriage. He faced a stark choice: reveal to the world that the person he idolised had engaged in sexual acts with him, acts he felt he had willingly participated in, or protect both his reputation and the man he admired. From his perspective, the decision was straightforward.

“Wade Robson Said He Visited Neverland Only 14 Times”

No, he didn’t.

From his 2005 testimony:

If we multiply 25 by 5, we get 125 days. That seems like a fair estimate.

But his mother contradicted him.

Not true.

From her testimony:

There is no firm total, but the visits clearly amounted to far more than fourteen. Joy also stated that she went to Neverland up to thirty times without Jackson being there. Fans often use this to undermine Wade, yet it happened after the Robsons had already moved permanently to the United States, so it does not cover their earlier trips. The abuse also occurred in Jackson’s apartments and hotels, and there were occasions when Wade visited the ranch without his mother.

None of the witnesses who testified for Jackson were able to give a consistent account of how many days they stayed at Neverland or elsewhere, whether he was present or not. For instance, Brett Barnes did not disclose that he spent more than 350 nights in Jackson’s bed; that information came from his sister.

It is unclear why Ben now treats the Robsons’ 2005 testimony as reliable, particularly given that he previously described Wade as a “perjurer” who should be imprisoned.

“The Overwhelming Number of Children Who Shared His Bedroom Say Nothing Happen”

The host, Cristo Foufas, appeared genuinely taken aback by Ben’s remark. And understandably so. Ben was not only praising Michael Jackson’s ability to form private, one‑to‑one bed‑sharing relationships with unrelated young boys, but also applauding the now‑adult men who either deny anything happened or choose to remain silent, while criticising those who have spoken out.

Ben, you are one sick puppy.

“Wade and James Are Motivated by Money”

Wade came forward in 2013 and James in 2014. Nearly a decade on, neither has earned any money from their allegations, and nor have their lawyers — aside from legal fees, which Wade and James themselves have paid.

“Wade and James Have Falsely Accused Others, Including Old Ladies”

Presumably one of the old ladies Ben is referring to is Norma Staikos, who has a rather murky history. As for Wade and James suing the estate, the host’s point was perfectly clear: if they cannot sue Michael Jackson directly because he is dead, who else are they supposed to sue? In case Ben has not realised, the Michael Jackson Estate controls Jackson’s assets and is the body legally responsible when allegations of wrongdoing are made.

After all, those who were sexually abused by the late Jimmy Savile were neither legally nor morally wrong to bring claims against the Savile estate or the BBC.

“They Should Be Charged with Perjury and Locked up”

I’m speechless. 

“James Said He Was Abused Hundreds of Times in a Building That Didn’t Exist until Three Years Later”

James states that he was abused over a four-year period from '88 to '92. The construction of the grand Neverland train station, which Ben is referring to, began in the autumn of 1993, and while there is no official opening day, it was most likely finished by the middle of '94. That’s not three years, but 18 months.

James doesn’t claim that he was abused hundreds of times at the Neverland train station, but instead describes multiple locations where he and Jackson had sexual encounters, including the station.

Even mjinnocent.com validates this:

Ben, when questioned about his “professional” psychosexual therapist opinion, even agrees that sexual abuse survivors do muddle up dates and locations. However, according to him, James had from 2014 to get his story straight, therefore he must be lying.

This notion presents a strange logic. It suggests that while those who fabricate "false allegations" can make mistakes, those suffering from childhood sexual abuse trauma cannot.

For further understanding of sexual trauma and inconsistencies, explore the following resources: Why sexual assault survivors forget details and Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis

Who Is Ben from Cornwall?

Let's be bluntly honest. Ben from Cornwall was not an impartial individual who, after conducting personal research, changed his belief from Michael Jackson's guilt to innocence. Instead, he appeared to be a thinly veiled Michael Jackson fan intending to mislead the host and audience.

Ben even agreed with Anika Kotecha's recommendation of Square One, flawlessly pronouncing her unusual name, while the host (like anyone unfamiliar with her) struggled with its pronunciation.

There has been speculation, including by myself, that Ben from Cornwall may have been the MJ Innocent co-founder, Seány O’Kane, who, along with Anika, organized the call-in but used a false identity.

Anika and Seány were seen congratulating each other the next day and "pretending" to express their admiration for "Ben" using various emojis.

The host even questioned whether it was Seány O’Kane and why he would use a fake alias instead of his real name.

On April 30th, Cristo stated he had received ongoing abuse following the interview, and expressed doubts about the credibility of @MJInnocentUK after it became apparent that Ben was an impostor.

Read more of the conversation here.

On May 1st, Anika strongly suggests that it was her partner in crime and attempts to justify his use of a fake alias as a privacy measure.

Even after I initially published this post, it was pointed out to me that Seány did confirm he was Ben; however, it should be noted that the original tweet has since been deleted.

Seány also lists himself as a "behavioural therapist" on his LinkedIn profile and asserts that he is "passionate about fostering long-term, positive change for the benefit of everyone in society."

While interviewing former Big Brother contestants, the Belfast Telegraph also identified Seány as a "sex therapist" practicing in Moscow.

Below, you can watch a brief ITV London News video where Seány, with his highly distinctive Irish accent, attempts to justify the London bus banners in 2019.

On February 10th, I reached out to MJ Innocent, inquiring about the individual posing as Ben on Talk Radio (see screenshot). Despite this, no response has been received to date.

In truth, the caller’s identity is immaterial. What matters is that Ben, by his own admission, is a psychosexual therapist—someone expected to demonstrate understanding and empathy in relation to complex mental health issues.

Instead of fulfilling this responsibility, Ben not only disseminated misinformation but also launched a cruel and judgemental attack on Wade and James. Such conduct, if carried out under his full (or genuine) name, would likely have resulted in the revocation of his licence to practise as a psychosexual therapist.