Johnny Depp appears in UK court for libel case against the tabloid, accuses ex-wife Amber Heard of many affairs

The libel case filed by Hollywood actor Johnny Depp against a British tabloid newspaper started Tuesday. The case is related to a 2018 article in the tabloid newspaper that labelled the actor violent and abusive to his ex-wife Amber Heard. Whereas, Caribbean actor Depp strongly denies the claims made in the article.

Depp accused his ex-wife Amber Heard of falsely accusing him of beating her up. The actor also added that she had struck him in London’s High Court on Tuesday. Depp, the 57-year-old star, is suing The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article Wootton wrote in April 2018 which tagged him as a “wife beater”.

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The paper’s lawyers are certain that the claim was true and under the influence of alcohol or drugs the actor had beaten actor Heard, causing her to fear for her life.“For the avoidance of any doubt, I have never abused Ms Heard, or, indeed, any other woman, in my life,” Depp said in a witness statement. Further in the statement, the actor also called his ex-wife a calculating, emotionally dishonest narcissist.

Depp’s lawyer Sherborne said, “The Claimant’s position is clear; Ms Heard’s allegations are complete lies. The Claimant was not violent towards Ms Heard, it was she who was violent to him.”

In the evidence submitted to the court, Depp’s team also revealed that Heard had begun an extramarital affair with Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk in early 2015, which was shortly after Depp-Heard had got married. Depp’s team also mentioned that Heard had engaged in another extramarital relationship with her co-star, actor James Franco.

While narrating his side in the witness box, Depp said he was the victim of attacks from his ex-wife, “I would try to go to my own corner as it were. It escalated and it got physical … Miss Heard struck me.” Actor added.

His defence then cited incidents where Depp was allegedly attacked by his ex-wife Heard, which included the claim that she threw a vodka bottle at him, severing his finger, in Australia in 2015.
In the cross-examination by lawyer Sasha Wass, Depp confessed to the usage of drugs, mentioning that he had taken every drug known to man by the age of 14 because of his difficult childhood and struggles.

Lawyer Wass said the actor would turn into an alternate persona which he described as “the monster” in the courtroom, which is the result of anger, jealousy or drugs. Depp denied Wass’s suggestion that he had a “nasty, angry side”, even after it was brought to light that the actor was being sued by a crew member from one of his films in 2018 for punching him twice in the ribs. “Untrue! I do not have an anger management problem.” Depp said.

The hearing is set to last for three weeks under the judge, Andrew Nicol.