London - Hollywood star Johnny Depp
accused his ex-wife Amber Heard of lying about him beating her
up, and told London's High Court on Tuesday that she had
actually struck him.
Depp, the 57-year-old star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean"
films, is suing The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and
its executive editor, Dan Wootton, for libel over an article
Wootton wrote in April 2018 calling him a "wife beater".
The paper's lawyers said they would show the claim was true
and that he had beaten actress Heard, causing her to fear for
her life, during violent rages brought on by alcohol or drugs,
sometimes when he had falsely accused her of infidelity.
"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 in which he characterised his ex-wife as a
calculating, emotionally dishonest narcissist.
Wearing a dark suit and glasses and speaking in a deep clear
tone, Depp gave evidence at the beginning of the case at
London's High Court. Heard, who arrived wearing a red scarf tied
around her face, is also due to give evidence.
In a written statement outlining Depp's case, his lawyer
David Sherborne said Heard had first aired the abuse allegations
in May 2016, saying it was hard to think of "more extreme or
violent" claims of abuse than she would make during the trial.
Amber Heard leaves the High Court in London. Picture: Toby Melville/Reuters
"The Claimant's position is clear; Ms Heard's allegations
are complete lies," Sherborne said. "The Claimant was not
violent towards Ms Heard, it was she who was violent to him."
In papers submitted to the court, Depp's team also said
Heard had begun an affair with Tesla chief executive Elon Musk
in early 2015 shortly after they had got married and had engaged
in at least one extra-marital relationship with her co-stars,
with actor James Franco named.
Appearing in the witness box, American Depp said he was the
victim of attacks from his ex-wife and had himself sought to
avoid confrontation.
"I would try to go to my own corner as it were," he said.
Asked about one argument, Depp said: "It escalated and it got
physical ... Miss Heard struck me."
THREE-WEEK CASE
The couple met on the set of the 2011 film "The Rum Diary"
and married in February 2015. Heard filed for divorce after 15
months, and days later obtained a restraining order against
Depp. Their divorce was finalised in 2017 when the restraining
order was dismissed.
Cross-examined by lawyer Sasha Wass, Depp agreed he had
taken "every drug known to man" by the age of 14 and said he had
a difficult childhood and struggled to come to terms with his
fame and success.
"Even when I speak my own name it sounds foreign to me," he
said.
The court was shown mobile phone footage taken by Heard
which showed an angry Depp slamming kitchen cupboard doors and
pouring himself a "mega" glass of wine.
"I can only say I was upset, very upset," he said, adding it
was not a pleasant video to watch.
Wass said he would turn into an alternate persona which he
himself described as "the monster", which was brought on by
anger, jealousy or drugs.
He said "the monster" Heard referred to was when he yelled
back at her in arguments.
"It would become a screaming match and that was the
monster," he said. "It's not Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde."
Depp denied Wass's suggestion that he had a "nasty, angry
side".
Depp is also being sued by a crew member from one of his
films in 2018 who accused him of punching him twice in the ribs,
the court heard.
Wass recounted a statement from actress Ellen Barkin, who
said Depp had thrown a bottle of wine across a hotel room on one
occasion and had got jealous and angry.
"Untrue," Depp replied, saying Barkin held a grudge. "I do
not have an anger management problem."
In his witness statement, Depp said Heard had thrown a vodka
bottle at him, severing his finger off, and that his ex-wife or
one of her friends had defecated in their bed.
The case is set to last for three weeks, the judge, Andrew
Nicol, said. Also due to give evidence via videolink are Vanessa
Paradis, Depp's former partner, and actress Winona Ryder.