On her third day in the witness box, Amber Heard revealed more details about her allegations of domestic abuse against Johnny Depp. She said he threw bottles “like grenades” and that he hit her before she was due to appear on live TV.
Amber Heard was back in the witness box to give evidence in the libel trial against The Sun. Heard is The Sun’s star witness and is in court to defend her accusations of domestic violence against Johnny Depp.
The Sun’s defense relies on 14 accusations made by Heard of Depp’s abuse. On Wednesday, before the court, Heard answered questions from Depp’s barrister pertaining to her allegations. Heard said Depp hit her and left visible injuries on her the day before she went on live TV as a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden. While the couple was in Australia, Heard said Depp threw glass bottles “like grenades.” Heard denied Depp’s allegations in court that she instigated violence and was the abuser.
What happened in Australia
Yesterday Heard elaborated on the “three-day hostage incident” that took place in Australia in March 2015. Heard claimed Depp attacked her repeatedly and her recount of the alleged violence moved her to tears.
Depp previously claimed that Heard threw two bottles at him, one of which cut the tip of his finger and interfered with his work as he was in Australia to film a “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel.
On Wednesday, Heard denied Depp’s accusation and said he was the one who threw the bottles. She said after she confronted him about his drinking, Depp taunted her by offering her a bottle and retracting it when she tried to take hold.
Heard said, “he said, ‘Oh yeah, you want it? Here, take it’, and at that point, drinking had already been… he had already given it up for a while and it was on the list of ‘if this happens, I leave’ sort of thing. It was no-fly. And he gestured to offer it to me and I reached to take it and he pulled it back.”
She admitted that at that point, she reached for the bottle and smashed it on the floor. Depp then started to throw bottles consecutively at Heard; he threw around 30 bottles at her “like grenades.”
Heard said, “I felt glass breaking behind me. I retreated more… he didn’t stop… I was too scared to look behind me.”
Depp’s barrister asked Heard to address a photo already shown before the court of Depp in the hospital during the former spouses’ time in Australia. Depp claimed the mark on his face is a cigarette burn left by Heard.
Heard denied the accusation, saying “Johnny did that… He often did things like that.”
What happened on their honeymoon
The court moved onto a different alleged incident that occurred during the couple’s honeymoon in 2015. Heard and Depp went for a vacation aboard the Eastern and Oriental Express, a luxury sleeper train in Southeast Asia.
Heard said in her statement that the couple got into an argument on the train, leading Depp to assault Heard. She said he pushed her up against the wall and tore her shirt, exposing her breast, as he screamed and hit her.
Depp’s barrister provided a photo in which Depp has an injury and accused Heard of spinning the incident around. Heard denied and said Depp strangled her.
Heard documented the alleged abuse in her diary, which The Sun’s defense lawyer read aloud earlier on in the trial. She wrote, “our fight was terrible. Johnny… at one point found himself with his shirt wrapped around my neck. Amazing to think about (the) precision, co-ordination that required considering the close circumstances… I don’t even know how I wound up with this huge, rather annoying knot on the back of my head. F*ck, I hate that.”
Last week, the court heard from Depp’s personal security guard Malcolm Connolly, who accompanied the couple on their honeymoon vacation. Connolly said if a fight happened at 3:30 am in the morning, he would not have known about it.
But Connnolly also said he never saw Depp physically hit Heard. “I wouldn’t tolerate any man striking a woman. No matter who he was, I just wouldn’t tolerate that,” he said. “Not even if he’s my boss. I don’t care if he’s the Pope.”
What happened before Heard appeared on late-night TV
In December 2015, Heard appeared on The Late Late Night Show with James Corden to promote her film “The Danish Girl.” She claimed that just the day before, Depp physically abused her and she had visible injuries on her face and body.
Heard said that fight before the show was “one of the worst and most violent nights,” claiming that Depp threw a decanter at her and slapped her. He dragged her by her hair around the penthouse before headbutting her and said he would kill her.
Heard provided photographic evidence of her injuries which showed bruising around her eyes. She said her marks were not visible on the Late Late Show as she was covered in heavy makeup and that she put on red lipstick to conceal her cut lips.
The court heard from Melanie Inglessis, a professional make-up artist who regularly worked with Heard. Inglessis did Heard’s makeup for the Late Late Show and said Heard had “discoloration” around her eyes and that her left eye had bruising. She also said the bridge of Heard’s nose was red and swollen and there was a scab on Heard’s lip.
According to Inglessis, she was supposed to go bowling with Heard the day before the show but Heard never showed up. She was told that Heard and Depp fought and when she came over to their penthouse, she saw broken glass on the floor and damage to the bed.
Earlier in the trial, Depp’s barrister questioned Samantha McMillen, Depp and Heard’s personal stylist who saw Heard get ready for the show. McMillen said she saw no visible injuries despite spending “much of the afternoon and early evening” with Heard.
Heard refuted McMillan’s claims and said McMillan only saw her while she got her makeup done.