Inside Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's ill-fated trip to Australia

Inside Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s ill-fated trip to Australia: How Hollywood’s most volatile marriage spiralled into a ‘three-day hostage situation’ on the Gold Coast leaving the actor hospitalised after being ‘hit with a flying vodka bottle’

Details of Johnny Depp and Amanda Heard’s divorce are being aired in UK court
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing The Sun newspaper over a column
Depp, 57, was accused of being a ‘wife basher’, allegations he’s strongly denied
The A-list couple’s marriage troubles included a volatile trip to Australia in 2015
Court heard of several alleged altercations, including violence from both parties
Depp went to hospital after Heard allegedly severed his finger with vodka bottle
A month later the couple returned to Gold Coast with their dogs, Pistol and Boo

When Johnny Depp and Amber Heard strolled from their black Range Rover and into a Gulfstream jet waiting on the tarmac at Brisbane Airport they held hands like any other celebrity couple, but it now appears their marriage was actually slipping away.

The disheveled Hollywood hell-raiser’s bandaged right hand was the only sign back in 2015 that all was not well at home, as rumours swirled over how he hurt himself.

Was it a go-karting accident? Did he punch a wall? Was it a filming mishap?

The smile that beamed across the stunning actress’s face on the tarmac five years ago was nowhere to be seen as she entered the High Court in London on Tuesday.

Depp, 57, is suing The Sun newspaper for labelling him a ‘wife beater’ in a 2018 article and sordid details about how his marriage to Heard capitulated on Australian shores was laid bare and as part of evidence in the blockbuster libel case.

The trip Down Under, which Heard described as a ‘three-day hostage situation’ amid allegations of flying vodka bottles, claims of infidelity and financial threats appears to be a flash-point in their descent into marital misery.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard arrive at Brisbane Airport in 2015 for what would turn out to be a volatile trip that saw them accused of smuggling in their dogs Pistol and Boo. Their journey to Australia came just weeks after they were secretly married on a private island in the Bahamas

Depp is taken to hospital with a severed finger after it was allegedly severed when Heard threw a glass vodka bottle at him during an incident in Queensland in March 2015. The star actor also claims his wife put out a lit cigarette on his cheek after the argument over a post-nuptial deal

When the pair first flew into the Gold Coast in March 2015 they were among the most sought after celebrities on the planet.

Just weeks earlier they had tied the knot in secret on a private island in the Bahamas.

Eager for privacy away from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales set, they rented the waterfront mansion of Australian MotoGP legend Mick Doohan.

The 18-hectare resort style home with an infinity pool, tennis court, elevators, dirt bikes and go karts has become a go to for visiting VIPs.

Most recently it was home to Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson during their lockdown after both contracting COVID-19.

The confines of the sprawling mansion quietly masked the chaos which was allegedly unfolding between its towering walls.

While the pair had long been rumoured to have a volatile relationship, it was not until a picture emerged of Depp lying on a stretcher inside a Queensland hospital almost two years later that the scale of the incidents on their whirlwind trip became clear.

The actor was rumoured to have broken his right wrist go-karting on a private track at Doohan’s property while movie buffs speculated it was a injury sustained on set.

The incident caused filming of the $250 million Jerry Bruckheimer epic, in which Johnny reprises his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow, to be delayed.

In giving evidence to the High Court on Tuesday, Depp described the period of time in Australia in March 2015 when he says Heard severed his finger – an injury which she says came about after he smashed a telephone into a wall.

He claims that Heard heard him talking to his lawyers about a potential post-nuptial agreement.

After he poured himself a glass of vodka she picked up the bottle and threw it at him, before hurling another one, he told the court.

‘Amber severed my finger with the second of two thrown vodka bottles at me in the early afternoon of Sunday March 8. Amber claims this was on the second day of a “three-day hostage situation”,’ he said.

‘Amber claims that during these three days, I subjected her to a variety of what sounds like torture and other abuse. These sick claims are completely untrue.’

Depp said Heard did not sustain any injuries at all that weekend, while he meanwhile sustained ‘grievous’ injuries including the severed finger ‘and a cigarette stubbed out on my cheek’.

He said that at some point after she threw the bottle that cut off his finger tip, she put a lit cigarette out on his cheek.

Depp (left) and Heard (right) arrive at the High Court in London on Tuesday. Depp, 57, is suing The Sun newspaper for labeling him a ‘wife beater’ in a 2018 article

Amber Heard walked arm in arm with her sister, Whitney, (left) and Australian lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, (right) who also represents Julian Assange, as she arrived at the High Court today for the start of a three-week libel trial. In the white coat is her US attorney, Elaine Bredehoft

Depp seen in an image drawn by a court artist as he was giving evidence from a witness box at the High Court in London today

During their visits to Australia in 2015, the couple stayed in this sprawling mansion owned by former MotoGp champion Mick Doohan

Court documents state that Depp tried to avoid Heard by taking the spiral staircase down into the bar.

‘(But) she followed him, screaming at him abusively,’ the court heard.

‘The severity of these injuries brought about the personal realisation of the severity of the abuse that Ms Heard had inflicted upon me for so long. I couldn’t believe that we had come to this. I wondered what more she could do to me.

However, Depp’s version of events inside Doohan’s mansion differ greatly to Heard’s.

Heard alleged in a domestic abuse case against her ex-husband in 2016 that Depp had cut his own fingertip off while ‘drunk and high on ecstasy’.

Depp had been speaking with Heard on the phone while she was filming The Danish Girl in London when they began to fight and he threw the phone at some glass, causing the injury.

The court papers in the 2016 case claimed that Depp then took his bloody finger and dipped it in blue paint before using the mixture of the two liquids to write ‘STARRING Billy Bob’ and ‘Easy Amber’ on the wall.

‘Billy Bob’ is Billy Bob Thornton claims Heard, who had starred in the 2008 film The Informers with the actress and then London Fields.

Whichever way the extraordinary row unfolded, it did not stop the couple returning to Queensland together just a few weeks later.

This time however they were infamously joined by a pair of companions – Pistol and Boo, their pet dogs.

Depp and Heard snuck the Yorkshire Terriers into Australia onboard a private jet and did not declare them to customs officials.

In fact authorities were completely unaware they dogs were in the country until their local groomers posted a photo to Facebook.

This outraged then-deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce who threatened to destroy the dogs if they were not taken out of the country.

The lavish home features an infinity pool, tennis court, elevators, go karts and dirt bikes, and is a regular for VIPs staying on the Gold Coast

A photo of Depp’s finger in the aftermath of an incident which he claims was caused by Heard throwing a glass vodka bottle at him – but which she claims occurred when Depp cut off his own fingertip in a ‘fit of rage’

In a domestic abuse case from 2016, Heard claimed that after cutting his own finger Depp had mixed his blood with ink and written on a mirror accusing her of having an affair with ‘Billy Bob Thornton’

Depp was one of the world’s biggest stars at the time he and Heard arrived on the Gold Coast in 2015 to film the fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He is pictured on set signing autographs for thrilled fans

‘It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States,’ Mr Joyce said.

‘He’s now got about 50 hours left to remove the dogs. He can put them on the same charter jet he flew out on and fly them back out of our nation.’

Heard was charged with breaching Australian customs laws but those charges were later dropped after she and Depp issued a bizzarre video apology.

Mr Joyce also eventually backed down on his threats.

The incidents that allegedly occurred during Depp and Heard’s time in Australia is set to form a major part of The Sun’s defence against the Hollywood star.

Depp told the court on the first day of his blockbuster libel case that the allegations were ‘sick and completely untrue’.

But the most sensational revelation from Depp was that he decided to divorce Heard after faeces was left in their bed.

In a written statement, the actor said Heard or ‘possibly one of her friends’ was responsible for the incident, but claimed she dismissed it as ‘just a harmless prank’, and he said it was the final straw in their deteriorating marriage.

Today, he took to the stand to deny ever hitting Heard, as a series of newspaper stories alleged, and said it was ‘inconceivable’ that he would ever hit a woman, citing his Southern upbringing and saying he considers chivalry ‘very important’.

He said: ‘It is a strong and central part of my moral code that I would never strike a woman, under any circumstances, at any time. I find it simply inconceivable and it would never happen.’

While denying attacking Heard he also launched a blistering attack on her, accusing her of being a ‘calculating, narcissistic sociopath’ who married him to further her career.

The court also heard of an incident where Heard shouted at Depp in 2015.

Their trip to Queensland in April 2015 reached infamy after police charged Heard (pictured) in relation to her and Depp smuggling their dogs into the country without alerting customs. It led Australia’s then-deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce to threaten to euthanase the animals

Authorities were completely unaware they dogs were in the country until their groomer posted a blurry photo to Facebook

Johnny Depp leaving the High Court this afternoon after a dramatic day of giving evidence in a libel case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard

Amber Heard leaving the High Court after today’s hearing. She was wearing a red polka dot face covering due to Covid restrictions

Depp filed a defamation case against Heard in 2018, calling her accounts of abuse ‘fabricated’ and ‘categorically’ false. They are seen together in February 2016

Depp’s barrister David Sherborne read an extract from a tape in which Heard said to her husband: ‘You got hit… but I did not punch you. I did not f****** deck you. I f****** was hitting you’.

Heard was then heard to say ‘you are a f****** baby’, to which 57-year-old Depp said: ‘Because you start physical fights.’

Heard replied: ‘You are such a baby. Grow the f*** up.’

Depp also cited another incident in which she ‘repeatedly’ punched him in the face on a private jet in 2014 and claimed that she punched him again as he fled to the toilet.

In contrast, the actress’ lawyers painted Depp as a domestic abuser who repeatedly attacked her when he was drunk or high on drugs.

Depp on Amber Heard and their ‘rage-filled’ fights

Depp started his account of his relationship with Heard by describing how he first met her when she auditioned for The Rum Diary, and later reconnected with her when they were promoting the film.

In one of his witness statements filed as part of his libel case against The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), Depp said: ‘She was then extremely friendly to me and keen to tell me about the break-up with her former partner that she had recently gone through.

‘If I had known then what I know now, I would have seen the red flag warning signs, but I did not. She was beautiful, seemingly incredibly interested in me and my work, and I fell for it. She bombed me with what appeared to be love.

‘It was not until much later that I understood that she had an agenda, namely to get married to me in order to progress her own career and/or to benefit financially, and she knew how to bring it about.

‘For example, at the time, she repeatedly told me how much she admired my films; however, later in our relationship she admitted that she had never seen any of my films. She knew what she wanted and I was an easy target.’

Depp said their time together was ‘incredibly unhappy’, adding: ‘She is a calculating, diagnosed borderline personality; she is sociopathic; she is a narcissist; and she is completely emotionally dishonest.

‘I am now convinced that she came into my life to take from me anything worth taking, and then destroy what remained of it.’

Depp said the pair sought the help of a marriage counsellor who he says confirmed to him that Heard had a ‘borderline, toxic narcissistic personality disorder and is a sociopath’.

According to Depp’s statement, Heard ‘continuously belittled’ him and called him a ‘fat old man’. He said he found it ‘devastating and heartbreaking’ to hear Heard call him a ‘horrible father’.

Depp wore a black bandanna face covering as he arrived at London’s High Court to fight claims he was a wife beater. Heard is pictured on the right

Heard pictured with her entourage outside the entrance of the Royal Courts of Justice, which will host the momentous trial

‘The monster’ and how Elton John helped him go sober

During cross-examination from Sasha Wass, she began using the term ‘the monster’ to describe Depp’s drunken alter ego, as she revealed how Elton John helped him go straight.

The lawyer referred to an email Depp sent to Sir Elton on March 22 2012 with the subject ‘100 days’.

The email read: ‘My dearest Elton, 100 f****** days of clarity for an old reprobate t**t like me. No one would ever have believed it possible but for a select few, most importantly you.’

The message also referred to his ‘brain and liver resembling Mrs Thatcher’ – referring to the former prime minister – and spoke of the ‘eternal savagery against myself’.

It concluded: ‘I would have been swallowed up by the monster were it not for you.’

Ms Wass continued that ‘the monster’ was Johnny Depp’s ‘alter ego’ and said the reference to it was ‘not a coincidence’.

But Depp said it was ‘a simple fact’ that he ‘would have been swallowed up by the monster were it not for you (Sir Elton John)’.

He explained that he meant he ‘would have been consumed by this poison – the monster here is death’.

Ms Wass continued: ‘You had a relationship with alcohol which was toxic… this is the story of your adult life, isn’t it? The fight between sobriety and alcohol and drug abuse.’

Depp told the High Court his drug use started ‘at a very young age’, beginning when he took one of his mother’s ‘nerve pills’.

Depp also revealed that he spent £3 million ($5 million) firing the ashes of late author Hunter S Thompson from a canon, prompting Mr Justice Nicol to express surprise at the amount as he asked the actor to repeat the figure

Sasha Wass, QC, representing The Sun, listed a series of drugs she claimed the actor had been taking since his childhood, including cocaine, cannabis, LSD, alcohol, cannabis and prescription drugs.

The lawyer spent the entire morning grilling the actor over his notorious drug taking, which she claimed changed his character and made him violent.

Asked about his interest in drugs, the actor claimed he enjoyed learning about ‘the counter-culture’ and followed in the footsteps of his ‘literary heroes.’

The actor said: ‘I’ve always been interested in the counter-culture and many literary heroes of mine* have been opium users. It has been a subject that I have learned about.’

After admitting that he had regularly taken ‘every drug known to man’, Depp replied: ‘My experience of alcohol and stimulants began at a very young age. It was not a particularly stable or safe home life, there was a lot of unpleasantness in the house.’

He added: ‘I remember my mother used to ask me to get her nerve pills. Around the age of 11 it dawned on me that these pills calm your nerves and I brought them home and took one. That began what was the only way to numb the pain.’

The Sun’s lawyers and Heard allege that drugs and alcohol turned Depp into a ‘monster.’

Ms Wass claimed: ‘We see you now very charming, polite and softly spoken but there’s another side of you Depp that’s less charming? There’s a nasty, angry side to your character.’

Depp replied: ‘I’m well aware that there’s been a lot of pain the way I was raised. When you are trying to figure out what it’s all about, when success and notoriety and all these things come to you and you don’t quite understand why you have them and you don’t feel very worthy, it’s very confusing.’

Depp denied that he had a tendency towards ‘destructive and violent’ behaviour or that he had problems managing his anger.

Heard was spotted leaving a California court in 2016 with facial bruising (above) after she was granted a temporary restraining order against Depp just days after claiming he attacked her

Heard’s lawyers submitted this photo to Los Angeles Superior County Court in 2016 and claimed Depp had caused the injuries. Speaking at the High Court today, Depp denied ever being violent towards Heard and said any claims he hit her were ‘lies’

Depp revealed that he considered Keith Richards a ‘friend and icon’ along with Hunter S Thompson and Marilyn Manson.

He told the court: ‘I have been very close to all three of them, they have been wonderful friends.

‘Keith Richards has been a role model for me. He’s one of my favourite guitarists and a great role model, yes.’

Depp added: ‘Hunter S Thompson was an idol of mine. He extolled the virtues of psychedelic drugs.’

Johnny Depp in his own words as he takes the stand in libel trial

Depp on his drug-fuelled childhood:

‘My experience of alcohol and stimulants began at a very young age’

‘I remember my mother used to ask me to get her nerve pills. Around the age of 11 it dawned on me that these pills calm your nerves and I brought them home and took one. That began what was the only way to numb the pain’

‘Every kind of drug known by man I’d tried’ by age 14

Asked whether he had taken drugs with Marilyn Manson: ‘Yes. Twice, maybe’

Depp on his heroes:

‘Hunter S. Thompson was an idol of mine. I believe he has a very famous quote that says I don’t condone the use of drugs or alcohol to anyone but they’ve always worked for me’

‘Keith Richards has been a role model for me. He’s one of my favourite guitarists and a great role model’

‘I have always been interested in the counter-culture and many literary heroes of mine, including Chaucer, who was an opium addict, and Thomas De Quincey, author of ‘Confessions of an English Opium Eater’, were into this subject’

Depp on his ‘anger problems’

‘I don’t [have anger problems]. I was angry, doesn’t mean I have anger problems’

After being asked about a hotel room he trashed while girlfriend Kate Moss slept: ‘Rather than assaulting a human being I assaulted a couch’

Asked about a clip of him smashing cupboard doors around Heard: ‘I was violent with some cupboards’

Depp on his alcohol addiction

Asked whether it was ‘nonsense’ that he spent more than $30,000 a month on wine while with Ms Paradis because it was ‘more than that’: ‘It was’

‘I would definitely say that towards the end of my relationship with Ms Paradis, the mother of my children, it was a very painful time… I was more than likely trying to numb myself’

Depp on getting sober:

In an email to Elton John in 2012: ‘My dearest Elton, 100 f****** days of clarity for an old reprobate t**t like me. No one would ever have believed it possible but for a select few, most importantly you

‘I would have been swallowed up by the monster were it not for you’

Depp on his own fame:

‘It’s a very confusing thing because you become a product and your name no longer sounds the way it did when you were growing up… When I speak my own name it sounds foreign to me’

‘When you are trying to figure out what it’s all about, when success and notoriety and all these things come to you and you don’t quite understand why you have them and you don’t feel very worthy, it’s very confusing’

Depp on his violent upbringing:

‘The best way that I can explain it was that when I was going to have a baby back in 1998 [with partner Vanessa Paradis], one of my promises was that I would raise my child in the exact opposite manner that I was raised’

‘It was not a particularly stable or safe home life, there was a lot of unpleasantness in the house’

‘I’m well aware that there’s been a lot of pain the way I was raised’.

Borrowing a quote from the late author, there was laughter in court as Depp declared: ‘I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.’

When asked about Manson, Depp admitted that they had taken drugs together but that their friendship was mainly based on music.

When asked by Ms Wass about his interest in drugs, Depp replied: ‘I have always been interested in the counter-culture and many literary heroes of mine, including Chaucer, who was an opium addict and Thomas De Quincey, author of ‘Confessions of an English Opium Eater, were into this subject.

‘It is a subject, as there are many other subjects, that I also have an interest in.’

Depp also claimed he ‘dabbled in drugs’ with the Avengers’ Paul Bettany – who played ‘Vision’ in the recent superhero franchise.

Ms Wass asked Mr Depp: ‘You would supply Paul Bettany with whatever medication of controlled drugs he asked for, is that right?’

Mr Depp replied: ‘If he was feeling anxious or he was feeling unpleasant, I would give him what he asked for.’

Ms Wass asked: ‘You would give him cocaine?’

He replied: ‘Yes, ma’am.’

Depp on trashing a hotel while staying with supermodel Kate Moss

The court heard Depp had wrecked a New York hotel room in 1995 causing $10,000 worth of damage while his then-girlfriend, understood to have been Kate Moss, was present.

‘Why did you trash this room?’ Ms Wass asked.

‘It had been a particularly bad couple of days and that day turned out to be the… apex of an unpleasant time,’ Depp replied.

‘I asked you a little while earlier, I asked you if you thought you had problems with anger management?’ the lawyer asked.

‘I don’t. I was angry, doesn’t mean I have anger problems. I was expressing my anger,’ Depp responded.

‘Right, so just so we’re speaking the same language, you express your anger through destructive behaviour?’ Ms Wass said.

‘I have at times in my life,’ Depp replied.

‘Yes, and this was not the only time by any means was it?’ the QC asked.

‘No,’ came the reply.

‘I also express myself by laughing, I don’t have a humour problem.’

Asked what had thrown him into such a rage that he caused $10,000 worth of damage, he said: ‘I had a friend who had been a friend for a very long time and he had for lack of a better word screwed me over if you will.’

‘And your then-girlfriend was there. Did you consider at the time she might be rather frightened by that?’ the lawyer asked.

‘She was in the bedroom asleep,’ Depp claimed.

‘She slept through the whole thing?’ Ms Wass asked.

‘Yes,’ Depp replied.

Reading from an interview about the incident, Ms Wass said: ‘It says after a spat with his then-girlfriend. What was all that about? The suggestion of the interviewer is that you had a spat with your girlfriend.’

‘That was the assumption of the media at the time because it makes for better press doesn’t it, but rather than assaulting a human being I assaulted a couch,’ Depp replied.

Ms Barkin, who was asked whether Depp’s behaviour ‘seemed out of control’ while she gave evidence in a separate US libel trial Depp has brought against Heard, said: ‘He threw a wine bottle across the hotel room in Las Vegas while we were shooting Fear and Loathing.’

When asked if his behaviour changed when he used drink and drugs, the court heard Ms Barkin had said: ‘He was not the same, he was high.’

Depp recalls River Phoenix’s drug death

Depp recalled the night young starlet River Phoenix tragically died of a heroin overdose at the famous Viper Room nightclub he owned in West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip.

Ms Wass, acting for The Sun, said: ‘River Phoenix was a young actor who collapsed and died in your club.’

Depp replied: ‘He passed away on the sidewalk just inside my club, yes.

‘From what I understand River began to feel unpleasant, he began to sweat and he went out of the door and once out of the door he collapsed.’

Ms Wass said: ‘You’re surrounded I suggest by people who will never really say no to you.

‘They will do anything you ask including supplying drugs to you.’

The actor replied; ‘No. There are people who work for me and work with me.’

Speaking about his drug-addled past, Depp said his dark relationship with substances began when his mother asked him to pick up her ‘nerve pills’ and he took one

Johnny Depp today spoke about how he had taken ‘every drug under the sun’ by the age of 14. He was was speaking during the first day of an explosive libel trial in London involving his ex-wife Amber Heard in which he denied ever hitting her. Pictured: Depp in 1989

Depp claimed he had suffered pain from feeling unworthy of his celebrity status when questioned about a ‘nasty, angry side to his character.’

‘We see you now as very charming and polite and softly spoken, but there’s another side to you Mr Depp that isn’t so charming,’ the lawyer said.

‘I’m afraid that wouldn’t be for me to judge,’ he said.

Depp on spending $43,000 on wine

Ms Wass referred to Depp enjoying red wine ‘hugely’ and an interview in which he described as ‘nonsense’ that he spent around $43,000 on wine ‘because the truth is it was considerably more than that’.

Depp said ‘it was’, but pointed out that he did not drink all of that wine himself.

As both big screen stars arrived at the High Court on Tuesday, Heard walked in hand-in-hand with Australian lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

Ms Robinson previously represented Wikileaks found Julian Assange, appeared at the International Court of Justice and gave expert evidence at the UN and in Parliament.

Her areas of expertise are free speech and civil liberties, and she regularly advises newspapers on media law.

How the star-studded relationship between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp fell apart amid claims of violence and abuse

Johnny Depp’s high-profile libel claim against the publisher of The Sun is over allegations he was violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard during their relationship – claims the Hollywood star vehemently denies.

The pair met in around 2011 on the set of The Rum Diary, a film adaption of a novel by Depp’s friend Hunter S Thompson, before they started living together in around 2012.

Here is a timeline of the key events in their relationship and the bitter legal battle that has ensued.

2013

– March 8: Depp allegedly tries to set fire to a painting by Heard’s ex-partner Tasya van Ree before he is said to have attacked her for the first time, which the actor denies.

2015

– February 3: The couple marry in a private ceremony at their home in Los Angeles.

– March 3-5: The key incident in The Sun’s defence, the three-day trip to Australia has been described by Heard as a ‘three-day hostage situation’ in which Depp was allegedly physically and verbally abusive while drinking heavily and taking drugs.

Depp denies the allegations and says Heard lost her temper after a conversation about a post-nuptial agreement.

– April 21: The couple arrive in Australia with their pet Yorkshire Terriers Boo and Pistol, which they did not declare to customs officials in Queensland. Heard was charged later with bringing the dogs into the country illegally – the charges were later dropped and the pair later recorded a bizarre video apologising for bringing their dogs to Australia.

2016

– Around May 22: The pair separated, Heard claims after an incident at their LA penthouse in which Depp allegedly became very angry and destroyed property with a bottle of champagne.

– May 23: Heard files petition for the dissolution of their marriage.

– May 27: Heard applies for a temporary domestic violence restraining order, which prevents Depp from contacting her.

– August 16: The estranged couple reach an agreement concerning the dissolution of their marriage. Heard later donates her seven million US dollar (£5.5 million) settlement to charity.

2017

– January 13: The couple are formally divorced.

2018

– April 27: The column by The Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton is published online at around 10pm. Under the headline ‘Gone Potty – How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?’, Mr Wootton asked if the Harry Potter author had been ‘blinded by a personal friendship’ with Depp.

The piece also quoted two alleged victims of disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, which Depp says was included to ‘finish his career’.

– April 28: The following day, the online article is amended to remove the words ‘wife beater’ from the headline, which was not included in the print edition.

– June 1: Depp files claim his libel against News Group Newspapers. His written claim, filed a few weeks later, claims the article ’caused serious harm to (his) personal and professional reputation’ and also caused him ‘significant distress and embarrassment’.

– December 18: The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by Heard which did not mention Depp by name, but said that the actress ‘became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out’.

2019

– February 27: Depp fights off a bid to halt his English legal action after The Sun applies for his claim to be ‘stayed unless and until’ the star confirmed in writing that he would not sue Heard if she participated in a forthcoming trial.

– March 1: Depp files a libel case against Heard in Virginia, blaming the Washington Post piece for Depp being dropped from the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and claiming that Heard was the one who had been abusive towards him.

2020

– February 26: Johnny Depp attends the High Court in London for a preliminary hearing ahead of a trial which was due to begin the following month. The star heard NGN’s barrister Adam Wolanski read out texts sent by Depp, including one from November 2013 to actor Paul Bettany, in which Depp wrote: ‘Let’s burn Amber.’

He also wrote: ‘Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead.’

– March 20: The trial, which was due to begin on March 23, is postponed due to the global coronavirus crisis. NGN’s lawyers had claimed Depp wanted to delay the trial ‘because he’s a coward and because he knows he’s going to lose’, which was denied by Depp’s legal team.

– April 8: Mr Justice Nicol rules that parts of Heard’s evidence, relating to allegations of sexual violence, will be heard in private.

– May 13: The court gives permission for Depp’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder – who both say Depp was ‘never violent’ to them – to give evidence. Heard’s former personal assistant Kate James is also permitted to give evidence.

– June 25: NGN asks the court to throw out Depp’s claim just two weeks before trial over the star’s failure to disclose text messages of him apparently trying to buy drugs in Australia in 2015. The publisher’s lawyers say Depp deliberately withheld text messages they say show him trying to obtain ‘MDMA and other narcotics’.

– June 29: Mr Justice Nicol rules that Depp did breach a court order by not disclosing documents from separate libel proceedings against Heard in the US – which include the text messages. But Depp’s lawyers argue that it would be ‘wholly disproportionate’ to strike out the actor’s libel claim.

– July 2: The High Court rules Depp’s claim can go ahead after granting his application for ‘relief from sanctions’ for the breach of a court order.

– July 4: The trial judge, Mr Justice Nicol refuses an application by Depp’s lawyers to exclude Heard from court until she gives evidence.

– July 7: The three-week trial finally begins at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, with witnesses set to include Depp’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder as well as several of Heard’s friends who say they were present when Depp was abusive.

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