LONDON (UK) – Actress Amber Heard is to be quizzed about her allegations that she was physically abused by her ex-husband and Hollywood star Johnny Depp when she begins providing evidence on Monday as part of a libel case against a UK tabloid.
The High Court in London has heard two weeks of testimony, including five days of evidence from Depp. This has exposed the star couple’s volatile relationship and startling revelations from both sides.
Depp of Pirates of the Caribbean fame has lodged a suit against News Group Newspapers, publishers of the Sun newspaper, over an article which said he was a “wife beater”.
The tabloid said what was said in the article is true and the court has been told that Heard, 34, accuses her former husband of manhandling her on 14 occasions between 2013 and 2016 when he became furious after drinking or using drugs.
Depp, 57, has denied attacking his wife. On the contrary, he accuses her of lying and assaulting him. Although the case pertains to defamation, it has in fact become a trial to ascertain which of them is telling the truth.
While giving evidence during the five days, the court heard details about Depp’s indulgence in alcohol and drugs and his binges with other celebrities.
Referring to emails and text messages between Depp, Heard, his staff and friends, the Sun’s lawyer Sasha Wass told the court that the actor turned into “the monster” when intoxicated or under the influence of cocaine.
Anger triggered by jealousy or his ex-wife’s attempts to clamp down on his indulgences had led to violent behaviour, said the lawyer. Depp has been accused of kicking, slapping, and punching Heard, pulling out clumps of her hair, throwing a phone at her and also headbutting her.
Photographs of Heard with black eyes and a facial injury were shown to the court and she said they were caused by her ex-husband.
Depp has labelled the accusations as a hoax with some of the allegations collated for years as part of an insurance policy. Witnesses have agreed to his version of the events.
Vanessa Paradis, his ex-partner and the mother of his two children, and actress Winona Ryder, to whom Depp was engaged in the 1990s, said the actor did not exhibit violent behaviour and they did not believe in the allegations.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
