Amber Heard slams Johnny Depp trial as ‘incredibly painful’
Amber Heard has described ex-husband Johnny Depp’s libel trial at the High Court as “incredibly painful”, adding that it has been “traumatic” to broadcast intimate details of her life to the public over the past few weeks.
Depp is suing the Sun’s publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) and the Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton over an article from April 2018 that referred to Depp as a “wifebeater”, and which claimed there was “overwhelming evidence” that he attacked his wife at the time.
NGN is relying on 14 separate accounts of alleged domestic violence against Heard in its defence case. Depp strongly denies the allegations.
Speaking outside the High Court today, Heard said it had been “traumatic” for details of her life to be forensically examined as part of the three-week trial.
Heard said she “just wanted to move on with my life” after reliving her breakup with Depp along with “traumatic and intimate” details of her life being “broadcast to the entire world”.
She added: “I travelled her to the UK to testify as a witness to assist the court. After obtaining a restraining order in 2016 and finalising my divorce, I just wanted to move on with my life.
“I did not file this lawsuit, and despite its significance I would have preferred not to be here in court. It has been incredibly painful to relive the breakup of my relationship, to have my motives — my truth — questioned, and have the most intimate details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast to the entire world.
“I stand by my testimony and I now place my faith in British justice. Although I did not bring up this lawsuit, I am aware of the precious resources being consumed by his litigation and the more important legal matters being delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
She thanked the support of her legal team and the “very diligent and kind court staff and the police”, who she desired as “sensitive” in keeping her safe during her time on the witness stand.
It comes as Depp’s libel suit against NGN rounded off today after more than three weeks at the High Court.
In their closing submissions in the blockbuster trial, Depp’s lawyers told the court the Pirates of the Caribbean star was “no wifebeater”, and that it was ex-wife Heard who was “the abuser” in their relationship.
Depp’s barrister, David Sherborne QC, claimed that audio recordings played to the court in which Heard admitting to hitting Depp proved that the Aquaman actress has a “propensity for violence”.
In the audio recording, which centres around a scuffle between the former pair in September 2015, the actress can be heard saying: ” I’m sorry I hit you like this. But I did not punch you. I did not f***ing deck you.”
Sherbourne said: “If it was a man who had said what Ms Heard said and who had admitted to what she admitted to, this was Mr Depp for example, and it was the other way around, can you imagine what consternation there would be?
“At its very core, we say it demonstrates that she is the abuser, not Mr Depp. He is no wife beater,” said Sherbourne.
In their closing submissions yesterday, the Sun’s lawyers claimed Depp was prone to “irrational mood swings and abnormal behavioural patterns” inflamed by a “cocktail” of drug and alcohol addictions, that led to the 14 separate accounts of alleged violence.
Sasha Wass QC, representing NGN and Wootton, told the court of the “deep misogyny which lay at the root of Mr Depp’s anger, and the anger which Mr Depp felt towards Ms Heard, which translated into violence when he felt threatened by her.”
Sherbourne today said the fact that Depp has “a history of consuming alcohol and taking drugs” was “neither newsworthy nor, quite frankly, probative of anything”, and described the heavy scrutiny of the actor’s drink and drug use as “a wasteful exercise”.
“Depp never denies taking controlled drugs or consuming alcohol”, said Sherbourne.
“He admitted it and, if occasionally he was mistaken or forgot exactly when he stopped taking something… it is quite hard to see why that would make any material difference given how candid he has been about his use of certain substances.”
Depp’s case against NGN and the Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton follows the publication of an article on the Sun’s website in April 2018 that urged author JK Rowling to scrap Depp from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise over allegations of domestic assault.
Depp has argued that article’s headline, “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wifebeater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”, is defamatory.
NGN is defending the article as true, and has claimed Depp was “controlling and verbally and physically abusive towards Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs” during their relationship.
Sherborne today reminded the judge that the burden of proof rests on NGN to prove that what the Sun published is true, and not for Depp to prove his innocence. He added that there is a higher standard of proof for the allegations because many are criminal in nature.
“This court requires compelling and cogent evidence before it will find that an allegation that someone is guilty of a serious criminal offence is true,” said Sherbourne.
Depp was greeted by fans as he arrived at the High Court for the final day of the trial today. The Hollywood actor handed out hand-written thank you notes to the flocks of so-called Deppheads that have swarmed the court throughout the three-week trial.
Justice Nicol, the judge for the trial, told the court his judgment will be reserved. He is expected to make a decision on the trial in October.