3 hours
In the more than two weeks that the trial for the lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp once morest his ex-wife Amber Heard has been taking place, testimonies and recordings have been heard that show how volatile the relationship of both actors was.
The trial revolves around a demand for $50 million that Depp filed once morest Heard for an article she wrote for The Washington Post in which she recounted the alleged domestic abuse she suffered at his hands.
Heard, for her part, filed a $100 million counterclaim in court once morest her ex-husband.
Depp has already sat on the stand to give his version of events and faced a harsh interrogation for part of Heard’s lawyers.
These have presented recordings that would show the abuse suffered by their client and that the actor’s lawyers deny.
Here we present some of the most explosive statements that have been heard during the trial, the end of which is still several weeks away.
“Yes, I am a victim of domestic abuse”
Those are the words used by Johnny Depp during an emotional phone conversation with Heard that occurred, according to his testimony, between May and July 2016.
In the conversation they address the last big fight they had in Australia before their divorce, when she alleges that he threw a mobile phone at her which hit her in the face.
In the conversation, he reminds her that she threw a can once morest his nose in an incident that caused damage and broken glass in the house they rented and in which Depp lost part of a finger.
Heard’s defiant voice is heard on the recording: “Tell the world that you, Johnny Depp, a man, are a victim of domestic abuse and you will see how many people believe you and take your side.”
After Heard’s challenge was heard in court, Depp’s lawyer asked her client what his answer was.
“I said yes, I am,” the actor declared.
“Have you been so angry at someone that you just lose your mind?”
The manager of the house that the ex-partner rented during the fight in which Depp lost part of his finger was called to testify.
Ben King said he found Amber Heard “crying hysterically” when he arrived at the house.
He described in detail the damage he found in the different rooms. Broken furniture, including a ping pong table, a television, and a lamp. Broken glass, containers, cans and puddles of liquid on the floor and blood on various parts, including the walls.
He said that the Material damage was estimated at around US$50,000.
King told the court that he flew back to Los Angeles with Amber Heard and that the actress had locked herself in the plane’s bathroom for regarding 15 minutes before takeoff and had to be asked to return to her seat.
During the flight, King asked Heard what had caused the fight in Australia.
She replied, “Have you been so angry at someone that you just lose your mind?”
King looked at her “in disbelief” and told her “no”.
“A spoiled teenager”
Ben King had also worked for the couple when they lived in London, while Depp was filming the movie “Mortdecai” in 2014.
During that period he also witnessed numerous fights. Referring to one of the altercations, he said Heard’s behavior was like that of “a spoiled teenager.”
He also claimed that it was Heard whom he had seen drinking wine, rather than Depp. “One or two bottles a night,” she said.
His story also coincided with that of Depp’s defense, which claimed that she chased the actor “from room to room, entering or at least knocking on the door.”
“Let’s Burn (The Witch)”
In a 2013 text message exchange between Depp and fellow actor Paul Bettany, the two men speak of Heard as if she were a “witch.”
This evidence had already emerged during the trial for the lawsuit that Depp filed a few years ago once morest a British tabloid -and that he lost-, but this time the texts were projected for the jury.
Bettany proposes to give Heard the drowning test that women suspected of being witches were subjected to in medieval times.
Depp replies in the following text message that following drowning her dthey should burn his body.
Although the actor was “embarrassed” by the language he had used in the text messages, he said that he “didn’t mean for them to be real.”
He said he had taken it directly from a famous routine by the British comedy group Monty Python and that this “dry, obtuse English sense of humour” allowed him to connect with Bettany.
The British actor, who has worked with Depp on several films, will testify on his friend’s behalf later in the trial.
“You want my blood, take it”
One of the most disturbing exchanges was heard on tape of the couple meeting in San Francisco, following Heard’s domestic violence accusations once morest Depp were made public.
Depp told the court that he had agreed to meet her in the hope that his ex-wife would “retract the lies that had been given to the world”, but later realized that he had been summoned under a “false pretext”.
He accused her of having taken everything from him (with his accusation of domestic violence). He explained that he had brought a razor which he pulled from her, telling her: “You have taken everything from me. You want my blood, take it.”
He clarified that it was not a threat towards Heard, but that he was referring to “pour are own blood” which, according to the actor, was the only thing she did not have. “I was finished, I really had come to an end.”
feces in bed
On his second day of testimony, Johnny Depp claimed that in April 2016 his ex-wife had left “human fecal matter” on his side of the bed following an argument between them.
He said that at that moment he wanted to end his marriage and wanted to take advantage of the fact that his wife was not at home to collect his belongings, but his head of security told him not to do so and showed him a photograph.
“He showed me a picture on his phone of… it was a picture of our bed, and on my side of the bed, there was human fecal matter.”
“I understood why it wasn’t a good time to go there. My initial response was, I mean… I laughed. (…) It was so weird and grotesque that I might only laugh. So I didn’t go there that day.” declared the actor.
The trial will continue with testimony from Amber Heard and other public figures in the coming days and weeks.
Now you can receive notifications from BBC World. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss out on our best content.