London | On the last day of more than three weeks of a “painful” trial which turned to great unpacking, the lawyer for Johnny Depp was employed Tuesday to defend the honor of the actor who pursues the tabloid The Sun for calling him an abusive husband.
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Facing the High Court in London, David Sherborne crushed the April 2018 article presenting as a proven fact that the 57-year-old actor was violent towards his ex-wife, the American actress Amber Heard, 34. The article leaves no room for “doubt” or “error”, Johnny Depp would be guilty of violence, pleaded the lawyer. It is to put down these “false accusations” that Johnny Depp initiated this “painful” public trial.
After hearing the final arguments of Johnny Depp’s defense, Judge Andrew Nicol will take his decision under advisement at a later date.
Dozens of fans of the star Pirates of the Caribbean have stood in line since early in the morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol or hand them flowers or soft toys. Others came with signs calling for “Justice for Johnny” or proclaiming that “men too” can be victims of violence within the couple.
As he entered, cries echoed through the building.
During the three weeks of the trial, the life of the couple Johnny Depp formed with Amber Heard was exposed in the harsh light of the High Court in London, down to its most gruesome details. Johnny Depp had to explain himself at length about his consumption of drugs and alcohol, his ex-wife defending herself from infidelities with celebrities.
Word against word, from the protagonists to the witnesses, each one remained camped on his positions.
“Monster”
The two ex-spouses had met on the set of Rhum Express in 2011 before getting married in February 2015 in Los Angeles.
The couple had divorced with a bang in early 2017. The 34-year-old actress then spoke of “years” of “physical and psychological” violence, accusations strongly contested by Johnny Depp.
In the divorce proceedings, Amber Heard had withdrawn her complaint for violence and Johnny Depp had paid her seven million dollars, which the actress had redistributed to associations.
Relying mainly on the statements of the actress, the Sun invokes 14 episodes of violence, all disputed by Johnny Depp. The latter admitted an abusive consumption of drugs and alcohol and accused in return of violence the actress of The Danish Girl and Aquaman.
“I loved him and I didn’t want to lose that (…), his other side was that of a monster, but I always kept the hope that he would detoxify himself”, declared Amber Heard the week last in court.
Support from Vanessa Paradis
On Monday, the newspaper’s lawyer issued a real indictment against the interpreter of Edward Scissorhands. Sasha Wass crushed the excesses of the actor, “subject to irrational mood swings” when he drank and used narcotics.
No witness witnessed this violence, she conceded, because by nature, violence between spouses takes place “behind closed doors”.
Amber Heard “loved” Johnny Depp, the beginnings of their relationship were “idyllic”, continued Sasha Wass. But as of March 2013, Johnny Depp was caught up with his old demons.
“Johnny Depp knew that drugs and alcohol could turn him into a monster,” said the lawyer.
For his part, the actor claims to have never raised his hand on a woman, supported on this point by the written testimonies of his ex-companions Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder. He portrayed Amber Heard as a narcissistic, sociopathic calculator worried about wanting to destroy her life.
Rejecting accusations of infidelity launched by the defense of Johnny Depp, with billionaire Elon Musk or actor James Franco, the actress admitted to having hit her ex-husband once, to defend her sister.
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