Irish Daily Mirror

Johnny kicked me in the back, locked himself in jet toilet and started howling

Heard tells court of ‘drunken Depp attack’

- BY MIKE BEDIGAN news@irishmirro­r.ie

AMBER Heard claims she was kicked in the back by Johnny Depp who got so drunk on a plane he began howling like an animal.

Audio clips of an incident during a flight in May 2014 were played yesterday in the US defamation trial.

She also detailed further instances of verbal and physical abuse she alleges she suffered at the hands of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 58.

Jurors at Fairfax County District Court heard the relationsh­ip broke down and Mr Depp had taken issue with her profession­al relationsh­ip with actor James Franco, who he apparently hated.

Mr Depp is suing Ms Heard, 36, for libel over a 2018 article she wrote in The Washington Post, which his lawyers say falsely implies he physically and sexually abused her while they were together. The actor has denied all accusation­s. Continuing her testimony yesterday, Ms Heard recalled the plane incident where Mr Depp allegedly threw things and kicked her in front of friends and staff.

“I just knew in every cell of my body that something was wrong,” she said, describing seeing him get on the plane.

“He reeks of weed and alcohol, and his breath smelled so bad. I could anticipate there was a no-win situation here.”

She continued: “He was saying really disgusting things about my body... and then he started straight up insulting me. And this is happening in front of everyone.”

Ms Heard said she had moved seats multiple times and that Mr Depp had thrown “ice cubes and utensils” at her before sitting in front of her and slapping her face. “I walk away from him, my back is turned and I feel this boot in my back. He just kicked me in the back,” she said.

“I fell to the floor and it felt like I was looking at the floor of the plane for a long time. No one said anything, no one did anything, you could hear a pin drop on that plane, you could feel the tension.” The court was played clips in which Mr Depp can be heard

moaning, which his ex-wife described as a “howl like an animal”. The Aquaman star claimed she was “constantly catering” to his moods as he took different medication to help him detox from drugs.

She took to the witness box for the first time on Wednesday and tearfully described other incidents of alleged violence including one where Mr Depp had performed a “cavity search”.

She told the court the early days of their relationsh­ip were “a beautiful and strange time”, and that she had “fallen head over heels in love” with Mr Depp.

On both days Mr Depp has not made eye contact with Ms Heard while she has been giving evidence.

Outside the courthouse, hundreds of fans queued to get into the building to watch the trial.

The trial continues.

 ?? ??
 ?? ?? BATTLE OF EXES Tearful Amber on the stand yesterday
BATTLE OF EXES Tearful Amber on the stand yesterday
 ?? ?? CLAIMS Depp &, right, Heard with James Franco
CLAIMS Depp &, right, Heard with James Franco
 ?? @Irishmirro­r ??
@Irishmirro­r

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