Michael Jackson's personal physician tried to hide that he had given the singer the anaesthetic propofol shortly before his death, a prosecutor has said.

The drug, which is normally used during medical operations, was one of a number of drugs attributed to Jackson's death in June 2009.

At a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles, prosecutor David Walgren said Dr Conrad Murray asked a security guard to hide medical paraphernalia when he realised Jackson had died.

He also claimed that Dr Murray did not perform CPR properly and only alerted authorities to Jackson's condition after he had died, reports BBC News.

Dr Murray, who was working with the King Of Pop ahead of his ill-fated comeback gigs, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The preliminary hearing is expected to last several days as a judge decides whether there is enough evidence for Dr Murray to face a full trial.

(by Jason Gregory)