Domestic violence on the world stage – how the Johnny Depp and Sun libel case unfolded

In attempting to clear his name in the court of public opinion, Johnny Depp’s case against the operators of The Sun newspaper may have only served to bring greater attention to the actor’s life – and his acts of domestic abuse.

The Hollywood A-lister who made his name in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had attempted to sue News Group Newspapers (NGN) over a 2018 article in The Sun newspaper, written by its now-executive editor Dan Wooton, which identified Depp as a “wife beater”.

The duty then fell on the Murdoch-owned NGN to prove that the actor, 57, had in fact committed acts of domestic violence against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Over the course of three weeks details of violent outbursts and threats to the actresses life played out against claims that she was lying and that it had been her who had harmed him.

And after details of the the actor’s life, his relationship with his former partner, and his alleged aggressions towards the 34-year-old actress, were laid bare before London’s high court and an international public audience, the judge ruled against Depp.  The actor had indeed assaulted his ex-wife on 12 occasions, leading her to fear for her life during three of them. The article, Mr Justice Nicol said, was “substantially true”.

“He had to win this,” PR guru Mark Borkowski said. “Even if he had won there would still be questions. But now he’s lost he hasn’t even got a Pyrrhic victory.

“He has just switched the volume on [his] lifestyle. And this makes Amber Heard a martyr and it makes him something much darker than just a pantomime villain.”

During the course of the hearing, Ms Heard explained how she feared Depp would kill her “either intentionally or just by losing control and going too far”, while saying he would blame outbursts on a self-created persona he referred to as “the monster”.

Meanwhile, Depp attempted to focus attentions on his former partner. Having denied her claims that he was violent, he instead alleged she had built up a “dossier” of false allegations as an “insurance policy for later”.

Details presented to the judge proved salacious, potentially damaging and deeply personal as the breakdown of a toxic relationship made its way from  the courtroom, to social media, to national headlines.

In the opening day of the case, Depp alleged either Ms Heard or a friend of hers had defecated in their bed – the court was told he had called her “Amber Turd” following the incident, a phrase that went on to trend on Twitter for much of the day.

As the case went on, Depp’s drug use was brought to the fore. The actor admitted to using marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, magic mushrooms and prescription drugs over the years.  Drug taking became a frequent fixture of incidents brought before the court. Ms Heard said Depp had become “enraged”  with jealousy in a 2013 instance when a friend of hers touched her. The actor in turn admitted he had been drinking and taking magic mushrooms, but alleged Ms Heard’s friend was also under the influence of drugs.

The actor’s ex partners, Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, were brought forward to testify to his character and that he had never abused them – although ultimately never attended court with their statements instead released to the media.

Confronted with images of his Ms Heard’s bruised face, he contended that he had attempted to restrain her and may have head butted her by accident. He continued to call her claims against him a “hoax”.He also revealed he had contracted MRSA after an operation his severed finger while alleging to have lost the digit when Ms Heard threw a vodka bottle at him.

Statements came from Depp’s friends and employees – some to protest his innocence, others portraying Ms Heard herself as violent or aggressive. One estate manager, Kevin Murphy, claimed the actress asked him to lie in court on a separate occasion relating to the keeping of her dogs in Australia. The bodyguard, Malcolm Connolly, said she had been responsible for Depp’s severed finger, and alleged he had been trained in “spotting bruise patterns” and had witnessed “no scratches” on her following a 2015 fight between the couple.

A concierge also testified that Ms Heard had been meeting with Tesla billionaire Elon Musk in secret during the marriage, with whom Depp claimed she had an affair.

However, in the final week of the trial, Ms Heard began to give evidence on the matters at the heart of the case – her accounts of Depp assaulting her. She said the actor had threatened to kill her “many times, especially later in our relationship”. She detailed striking him in one instance over fears he may have been about to push her sister down the stairs, detailing an unproven rumour that he had done so to model Kate Moss in a separate instance.

She went on to deny claims put forwards by Depp – stating he had severed his own finger, that she had not defecated in their bed, and that she had not had an affair with Mr Musk. NGN meanwhile said there was “no doubt” that Mr Depp “regularly and systematically abused his wife”.

In one particular instance that Ms Heard described as a “three-day hostage situation”, she accused Deep of repeatedly assaulting her while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

While the judge said that claims she was held against her will were “Something of a hyperbole”, he was satisfied she had been “the victim of sustained and multiple assaults” at the hands of her husband.

“His brand had a sort of edge and that edge now has turned to something that is really ugly and abusive.” Mr  Borkowsi added.

“It’s a double whammy. It has created so much interest. He has not got rid of a substantial slur that, before the case, less people knew about.”

“Amber Heard was tried against all of the tropes that he used against women,” added Mark Stephens, a partner at Howard Kennedy and expert in reputation management.

“She was alleged to have had affairs, as if that in some way warranted abuse. She was said to be a gold digger even though she has already had her settlement from Depp and given all the money to charity because she thought it was dirty money.

“She was accused of making an elaborate hoax which has been said to be false. So I think the way in which she was secondarily abused in the courtroom is an issue which will be studied for years to come.”

“It’s immensely damaging,” he added of the case. “This is something which could have been dealt with quietly out of the public spotlight.”

Additional reporting by agencies