Giving evidence in his libel
action against Britain's Sun newspaper, which
labelled him a wife-beater, Depp has faced four
days of cross-examination over allegations from
Heard that he physically attacked on at least 14
occasions during a three-year period from 2013.
The court was told on Friday that one such
incident followed a party to celebrate Heard's
30th birthday party in April 2016, the Sun's
lawyer Sasha Wass said.
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star was late
because he had been at a meeting with his
business manager, where he had received bad news
about his finances. At their home, Depp was
accused of attacking Heard when she criticised
him for being late, throwing a magnum bottle of
champagne at her, which missed, and grabbing her
hair.
The following day, the cleaner found faeces in
their bed, something Wass said Depp had said in
text messages he thought hilarious.
ABSURD
"It was one of the most absurd statements that I
have ever witnessed in my life," Depp said. "I
was convinced it was Miss Heard herself or one
of her cohort involved in leaving human faeces
on the bed".
"It thought it was a strangely, oddly fitting
end to the relationship."
When the couple next met up in May when Depp
went to collect some possessions from their
home, a row erupted over the faeces incident,
which Heard blamed on one of their dogs.
Depp denied he had been spoiling for a fight and
said Heard had brought up the issue, telling the
estate manager in a phone call it was a
"harmless prank".
In an ensuing argument, Depp was accused of
throwing his phone at his ex-wife, striking her
on the cheek, an accusation he rejected. Days
later Heard sought a restraining order against
Depp and the court was shown pictures of Heard
with a bruise on the cheek.
Depp said the accusation wife-beater meant he
had gone from "Cinderella to Quasimodo in 0.6
seconds".
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"GLOBAL HUMILIATION"
The court heard he sent a text to his business
manager in August 2016 in which he called Heard
a "50 cent stripper" who was "begging for total
global humiliation". "I have no
mercy, no fear and not an ounce of emotion, or
what I once thought was love for this gold
digging, low level, dime a dozen, mushy,
pointless dangling overused flappy fish market,"
the text, read by Wass, said.
Over four days of giving evidence, Depp has
faced a series of allegations where he is
accused of attacking his ex-wife, who met in
2011 and married four years later, during
violent, angry, jealous rages when he was drunk
or had taken large amounts of drugs.
The court has been told that during these he
repeatedly slapped her, kicked her, headbutted
her, pulled out clumps of her hair, trashed a
house where she kept her clothes, and threatened
to kill her.
According to Wass, Depp had an alter ego, which
both he and Heard referred to as "the monster",
who he turned into after heavy drinking or
drug-taking.
Depp has rejected all the allegations and says
Heard is lying, telling the court she physically
assaulted him, forcing him to often flee to
bathrooms to hide from the confrontation. He
says the claims are a hoax and part of a dossier
she had been collecting as "an insurance
policy".
Heard, who has also been in court for Depp's
appearances in the witness box, is due to give
evidence herself next week as is Depp's former
long-term partner Vanessa Paradis and his
ex-girlfriend, actress Winona Ryder.
(Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by Angus
MacSwan)
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