Ex-wife tells court she feared Depp would kill her
LONDON — Amber Heard has accused ex-husband Johnny Depp of abusing her both physically and verbally while he was allegedly bingeing on alcohol and drugs, claiming that at various times during their tempestuous relationship she feared for her life.
On the first day of her testimony Monday at Britain’s High Court in London, Heard also denied accusations that she was a heavy drug user and drinker as well as a controlling and abusive person. The court is examining Depp’s libel suit against The Sun newspaper over an April 2018 article that labeled him a “wife beater” who abused Heard.
Chronicling a series of incidents over their deteriorating relationship, that purportedly included Depp throwing a magnum of champagne and a phone at her, Heard insisted any action she took in response was purely in self-defense.
“When I felt my life was threatened, I tried to defend myself and that started to happen years into the relationship, years into the violence,” she told the court. “Before that, I didn’t even try to defend myself, I just checked out.”
Depp’s lawyer Eleanor Laws played a recording of an argument between the pair in which Depp accuses Heard of throwing pots and other items at him the night before. Heard said she had hit — but not punched — Depp and she had only thrown things “to escape him.”
Heard said the argument, like so many others, had stemmed once again from Depp passing out in the bathroom after another binge.
“I was worried about Johnny’s life and this is the context of this argument, one of many that ended in a physical altercation of sorts,” she said.
Depp, 57, is suing The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers, and the paper’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, over the article. The Hollywood star, who strongly denies abusing Heard, was at the court to hear his ex-wife’s evidence. Heard’s testimony is due to last for three days.
In written testimony released as she took to the witness stand, Heard said that at various times during their relationship she endured “punching, slapping, kicking, head-butting and choking.” She said “some incidents were so severe that I was afraid he was going to kill me, either intentionally or just by losing control and going too far.”