A friend of the Arviso family has testified that she received a "very disturbing" phone call from the frightened mother.

Writer Louise Palanker, who befriended the family at a 1999 Hollywood comedy camp, told the court that she received the call a few days after the broadcast of Martin Bashir's documentary Living With Michael Jackson.

She told District Attorney Gordon Auchincloss: "She was extremely agitated. She was almost whispering. She may have been crying at some points in the conversation. She was very frightened.

"She started saying, 'Weezy (Palanker's nickname), if you have caller ID, don't call this number. Its not a safe line. They're listening. These people are evil. They are keeping us.

"I felt they were being held against their will."

Palanker also dispelled Thomas Mesereau's assertion that she was duped into giving the family money for Gavin's treatment when it was in fact covered by insurance.