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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Graeme Massie

Amber Heard fights back tears as court is shown video of Johnny Depp ‘assaulting cabinets’

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Amber Heard fought back tears as a court was shown video she secretly filmed of Johnny Depp “assaulting cabinets” during an argument.

Ms Heard appeared emotional as she watched the footage of Mr Depp smashing up a kitchen at his home in West Hollywood, California, while the former couple were married.

As the video was played in the Virginia courtroom, where the couple’s multi-million dollar defamation trial is being contested, Ms Heard closed her eyes and looked down.

It was played as Mr Depp was questioned under cross-examination by Ms Heard’s lawyer at the end of the trial’s second week.

In the video, Mr Depp could be heard shouting ‘Motherf*****. Motherf***** and someone could be heard punching a wall.

Ms Heard was caught on the video, telling Mr Depp, “All I did was say sorry. Did something happen to you? I don’t think so. You drank this whole thing this morning? You’re smashing s***.”

Mr Depp was asked by her attorney if he had drunk a “mega pint of red wine”, to which Mr Depp told him he had poured himself “a large glass of wine. I thought it necessary.”

Mr Depp then admitted: “I did assault a couple of cabinets but didn’t assault Miss Heard.”

And he added: “I did not try to intimidate Ms Heard ... If she was intimidated, why was she filming? If she was scared to death, why didn’t she leave?”

Jurors were also shown the cover of People magazine showing the result of an alleged headbutt in which Ms Heard appears to have black eyes.

Mr Depp was asked about the incident in December 2015 in which he testified he restrained Ms Heard during a fight and she claims he headbutted her — he says any contact would have been accidental as a result of her struggling.

“I was trying to restrain Miss Heard, and once I had restrained her. If she’s trying to still move around or kick at me ... It’s not impossible for them to bump. But a headbutt? That’s pretty extreme,” he told the court.

Audio recordings relating to the incident were then played in court.

After the first recording, Mr Depp said: “If you want to have a peaceful conversation with Ms Heard, you might have to placate just a little bit.”

Ms Heard is being sued for $50m by Mr Depp for implying he abused her in a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post.

Although she did not name him, his lawyers claim her allegations have made it difficult for the actor to land movie roles, turning him from “Cinderella to Quasimodo” in Hollywood, as the Pirates of the Caribbean actor described it.

She, in turn, has filed a $100m counterclaim against Mr Depp and has asked for immunity from the actor’s allegations.

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