Johnny Depp sued The Sun two years ago over an article which labelled him a “wife beater” and referred to “overwhelming evidence” he was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The piece by executive editor Dan Wootton, published on April 28 2018, criticised author JK Rowling for saying she was “genuinely happy” Depp had been cast in a Harry Potter spin-off film following Heard’s allegations.
News Group Newspapers originally relied on two alleged incidents of domestic violence during the marriage, on April 21 and May 21 2016, but have since added a dozen other allegations to their pleaded defence of the article.
Heard claims Depp was “controlling and verbally and physically abusive” towards her, “particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs”, throughout their relationship, allegations Depp strongly denies.
Related
These are the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence, all denied by Depp, relied on by NGN:
– 1. Early 2013
Heard says Depp was completely sober until early 2013, and around that time he allegedly hit her for the first time when they were in Los Angeles.
She claims Depp later cried and apologised, telling her that he sometimes turns into “the monster” when he snaps.
Depp has “expressly denied” hitting Heard and said that, around early 2013, he had “confined himself to drinking wine and using marijuana, having been sober from around December 2011 to August 2012”.
– 2. March 8 2013
Heard claims Depp was angry she had hung up a painting by her ex-partner Tasya Van Ree by her bed in her LA home, then tried to set the painting on fire and hit her “so hard that blood from her lip ended up on the wall”.
Depp, however, says he simply asked Heard to move the painting from the bedroom “as a courtesy” and that she had an “extreme reaction”.
He also says a text he later sent describing the evening as a “disco bloodbath” was to “placate Heard” and not an apology for alleged violence.
– 3. June 2013
Heard and Depp were in Hicksville, US, with a group of people including Heard’s sister Whitney and Depp‘s assistant Nathan Holmes.
Heard says Depp, who was “taking drugs”, became “enraged” and “jealous” when one of her friends touched her, and he then threw glasses at her, ripped her dress and damaged the cabin they were staying in.
Depp says he drank and took magic mushrooms, as did Heard and her friends who also took MDMA.
He claims Heard’s friend touched Heard in an “extremely sexual manner” and he spoke to her to ask her to stop.
– 4. May 24 2014
The pair took a private plane from Boston to LA: Heard says that during the flight Depp, who had been drinking heavily, threw objects at her, pushed a chair at her, slapped her and kicked her in the back before passing out in the toilet.
Depp says Heard “began to harangue him” as he was sketching in a notebook, he then tried to “playfully tap her on the bottom with his foot”, at which Heard took “great offence” and “continued to verbally berate” him.
– 5. August 17 2014
The couple went to the Bahamas, Depp says to “cure his dependence on painkillers”, although Heard claims he was trying to give up other drugs too.
Heard says Depp had “several manic episodes” and his private doctor had to be flown over to help. She alleges that he slapped, kicked and grabbed her by the hair during an attack.
Depp alleges Heard stopped a nurse from giving him treatment while he was going through withdrawal.
– 6. December 17 2014
Heard says Depp was “violent towards” her in LA, and later texted calling himself a “f****** savage” and a “lunatic”.
Depp denies any allegation of violence and says NGN has “failed to provide any particulars of the alleged violence”.
– 7. January 25 2015
While the couple were in Tokyo, Japan, Heard claims Depp shoved and slapped her and grabbed her by the hair, before standing over her and shouting while she was on the floor – which Depp denies.
– 8. Around March 3-5 2015
Depp is said to have repeatedly assaulted Heard after an argument over his alleged use of MDMA during a three-day trip to Australia. She says he stayed up all night, taking pills and drinking, and then attacked her again the next morning.
Heard says, the following night, Depp pushed her into a table tennis table, tore off her nightgown and attacked her, before smashing a telephone into a wall and severing the top of his middle finger.
She also claims he had written messages to her around the house in a mixture of paint and blood from his finger, which Depp admits doing while “in shock”, as well as having “urinated all over the house in an attempt to write messages”, which he denies.
Depp says Heard was in “a prolonged and extreme rage” following an argument over a post-nuptial agreement. He says he then “broke my sobriety” with several glasses of vodka, before Heard threw a bottle at him, severing the top of his finger, and stubbed a cigarette out on his cheek.
– 9. March 2015
Heard says Depp became “enraged” when they were in LA with her sister and began destroying things in the house before hitting her “hard and repeatedly”. She also claims he tried to push her sister down the stairs before hitting Heard again.
Depp, however, says Heard was “berating him in a rage” as he tried to leave, threw a can of Red Bull at him and punched him in the face before he finally left.
– 10. August 2015
While they were on the Eastern and Oriental Express in south east Asia, Heard alleges Depp “picked a fight” with her, hit her and pushed her against a wall by the throat, “causing her to fear for her life” – which is denied by Depp.
– 11. November 26 2015
In LA, Depp is alleged to have ripped Heard’s shirt and “threw her around the room”, also throwing a wine glass and a “heavy glass decanter” at her, as well as pushing her over a chair which caused her to bang her head against a wall.
Depp says they were in LA for Thanksgiving, but denies any allegation of abuse.
– 12. December 15 2015
Heard claims Depp threw a decanter at her in their penthouse in LA, then slapped her and dragged her through the apartment by her hair, allegedly pulling “large chunks of hair” from Heard’s scalp.
She says he then followed her upstairs and pushed her to the floor while shouting “you think you’re a f****** tough guy” before headbutting her.
Heard says that when she told Depp she wanted to leave him he grabbed her and screamed: “I f****** will kill you – I’ll f****** kill you, you hear me?”
Depp, though, says “Ms Heard fabricated the alleged violence”, falsely claiming that “blonde hair on the floor was her hair”.
He also claims that “the only violence committed on that date was by Ms Heard”, who allegedly “violently attacked” him.
– 13. April 21 2016
Heard says Depp arrived at her birthday party at their LA home late, “drunk and high on drugs” and they had an argument after the guests had left.
She claims he threw a bottle of champagne at her and shoved her to the floor several times before leaving a note reading: “Happy F****** Birthday.”
Depp says he arrived at the party around two hours late following a meeting with his new business manager and accountants, and that he was not on drugs but “shocked from what he had learnt at the meeting about his business affairs”.
He claims Heard had been “drinking heavily” and attacked him while he was reading in bed, punching him in the face four times before he grabbed her arms to stop her.
Depp says the next day Heard or one of her friends “defecated in Mr Depp‘s and Ms Heard’s bed”, and that Heard later told the building manager Kevin Murphy that it was “just a harmless prank” – at which he point he “then resolved to divorce Ms Heard”.
– 14. May 21 2016
Depp arrived at their LA apartment, allegedly “drunk and high” while Heard was there with friends. Heard said Depp became “very angry”, throwing her phone at her and hitting her in the eye before smashing “everything he could” with a magnum of champagne.
He says he went to the apartment with two security guards to collect his belongings after Heard and her sister “repeatedly” tried to contact him.
Depp claims his two security guards entered the room when they heard Heard shouting, and saw her “repeatedly screaming, ‘stop hitting me, Johnny'” while he was 20 feet away in the kitchen.
He also says that two police officers who attended the apartment after the incident “saw no injuries or bruising or swelling”.
Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
