Amber Heard gives full statement to LA police about Johnny Depp's alleged domestic abuse

Amber Heard has said she will release a full statement to the Los Angeles Police Department about the alleged domestic abuse her estranged husband Johnny Depp has subjected her to.

Heard, 30, said she did not previously release a statement to the LAPD in order to protect her privacy and Depp’s acting career.

The actress alleged she had experienced years of physical and psychological abuse from the 52-year-old.

Heard said her behaviour was not motivated by financial reasoning and she was a "financially independent woman".

On Saturday, the Los Angeles police told The Independent that they responded to a domestic violence call at the couple's home.

“On 21 May, 2016, police responded to a domestic incident radio call in the 800 block of South Broadway,” a spokesperson for the LAPD said. “The person reporting did not insist on a report, nor was there any evidence provided by the victim that warranted a report. Officers investigation determined that a crime did NOT occur. The officers cleared the scene and left a business card.”

Heard has now explained she chose to stay silent because she was keen to keep the matter private and, like many other victims of domestic violence, she first thought of “the harm that might come to the abuser”.

Last Friday, Heard was issued a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Depp after she alleged he had been violent towards her on multiple occasions during their 15-month marriage. Heard appeared in court, with a visible bruise on her face, alleging that Depp threw an iPhone at her face last Saturday and a month before “grabbed [her] by the hair and violently shove [her] to the floor”.

Depp’s lawyer, Laura Wasser, has claimed Heard applied for a restraining order as a result of the negative media coverage she’s been subject to and in order to “secure a premature financial resolution”. The unfavourable media attention Wasser is referring to is the coverage of Heard choosing to file for a divorce several days after Depp’s mother Betty Sue died.

The statement from Heard’s lead attorney Samantha F. Spector and her co-counsel Joseph P. Koenig is in full below:

“As the result of Amber’s decision to decline giving an initial statement to the LAPD, her silence has been used against her by Johnny’s team. Amber did not provide a statement to the LAPD in an attempt to protect her privacy and Johnny’s career.

"Johnny’s team has forced Amber to give a statement to the LAPD to set the record straight as to the true facts, as she cannot continue to leave herself open to the vicious false and malicious allegations that have infected the media.

"Amber has suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny.

"In domestic violence cases, it is not unusual for the perpetrator's playbook to include miscasting the victim as the villain.

"In reality, Amber acted no differently than many victims of domestic violence, who think first of the harm that might come to the abuser, rather than the abuse they have already suffered.

"Amber can no longer endure the relentless attacks and outright lies launched against her character in the Court of Public Opinion since the tragic events of 21 May. With her statement Amber hopes to give the LAPD the opportunity to conduct an accurate and complete investigation into the events of that evening and before. If that occurs, and the truth is revealed, there is no doubt that Amber’s claims will be substantiated beyond any doubt, and hopefully Johnny will get the help that he so desperately needs.

"From the beginning it has been Amber's desire to keep this matter as private as possible, even though LAPD officers responded to a 911 call made by a third-party. The LAPD officers viewed not only the disarray that Johnny had caused in the apartment but also the physical injuries to Amber’s face. We filed the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage at the very end of the day on Monday May 23rd and we did not serve Johnny with the Petition at the premiere of Alice Through the Looking Glass that evening. We sent a letter to Johnny's counsel team the next morning making it clear we wanted to keep this matter out of the media. We then held off requesting a domestic violence restraining order as we knew that Johnny was out of the country.

"We took the high road. Unfortunately, Johnny's team immediately went to the press and began viciously attacking Amber’s character. Amber is simply a victim of domestic violence, and none of her actions are motivated by money. Amber is a brave and financially independent woman who is showing the courage of her convictions by doing the right thing against Johnny's relentless army of lawyers and surrogates.

"The Family Law Court is not going to be influenced by misinformation placed in the social media based on anonymous sources. Amber is the victim. Amber is a hero.”

A representative for Depp did not immediately respond to request for comment.