Michael Jackson surveillance tapes wiped

Surveillance footage from Michael Jackson's house on the day he died has been erased.

Dr. Conrad Murray - the personal physician to the 'Thriller' singer who died of acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009 - is current facing manslaughter charges over his death but as police originally did not suspect foul play, they failed to make copies of the footage and the tape has now been recorded over, according to gossip website TMZ.

Police only used four minutes from the tapes - which are copied over every 24 hours - to establish the time Michael entered the house on the day he died.

Lawyers for Dr. Murray are today (16.03.11) expected to ask the judge to order authorities to turn over 24 hours of surveillance footage to help with their defence but the remainder of the video - which would show who entered the house and when on the day he died - is lost.

It was revealed earlier this month that the trial has been delayed from April 5 to May 9, as the prosecution and the defence are still passing information between them even though Murray wanted a quick court case due to financial difficulties.

His lawyer J. Michael Flanagan said: "We need to go to trial right away. We don't have the budget that would let us draw this out."