Johnny Depp loses “wife beater” slander suit against UK tabloid

Hollywood star Johnny Depp on Monday lost his libel battle with a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater”, after a London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted his former partner and put her in fear for her life.

In a ruling that could severely damage Depp’s reputation and career, Judge Andrew Nicol said he accepted claims from the actor’s ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, that he had violently assaulted her during their tempestuous five-year relationship.

“I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard,” said Nicol. “The claimant has not succeeded in his action for libel.”

Depp’s lawyers described the ruling as “perverse as it is bewildering”, and said it would be ridiculous for him not to appeal.

Depp, 57, star of films including “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Edward Scissorhands”, had sued News Group Newspapers, publishers of The Sun, and one of its journalists, Dan Wootton, over a 2018 article which stated he had been violent towards Heard, 34.

Heard, who attended multiple sessions at the court, claimed Depp attacked her on at least 14 occasions, threatened many times to kill her, and that he slapped, punched, head-butted, throttled and kicked her when he became “the monster” – a violent and jealous alter ego fuelled by excessive drinking or drug-taking.

“Johnny – the monster – nearly killed me. I loved the Johnny who was clean and sober,” she said.

On one occasion Depp drank excessively and flew into a rage, flinging bottles at her “like grenades” she said. In the same line of questioning, Heard denied Depp’s accusation that she threw a bottle at him, severing part of his finger.

“I only threw things to escape Johnny when he was beating me up,” she said.

Nicol ruled that the paper’s allegations were “substantially true”. “It follows that this claim is dismissed,” he said.

Depp has rejected all allegations that he attacked his ex-wife and instead said Heard assaulted him. “For the avoidance of any doubt, I have never abused Ms Heard, or, indeed, any other woman, in my life,” Depp said in a written witness statement.

He also said the accusations were a part of a hoax. “She was building a wonderful dossier, an insurance policy for when we did break up.”

Over the course of three weeks at London’s High Court in July, the judge heard evidence from both Depp and Heard about their fiery marriage, alleged affairs, his hedonistic lifestyle and battle with drink and drugs, and their furious rows.

Each accused the other of violent outbursts.

[Sourced from Agencies]