Johnny Depp rejects wife-beater claim in London Libel trial

Johnny Depp, Hollywood actor rejected being violent to his ex-wife Amber Heard, as he launched a libel claim in a London court on last day against a British tabloid newspaper that called him a “wife-beater”.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star, Johnny Depp, is suing the publishers of The Sun and the author of the article for the claims, which were made in April 2018.

The high-profile case has laid bare the couple`s turbulent relationship, which ended in divorce in 2017, just 2 years after they married.

“These sick claims are totally untrue,” Depp said in a written witness statement, adding that Heard’s allegations hurt his career and had “been a constant issue in my casting.”

A three-week trial over his libel claims opened Tuesday at the High Court in London. It is one of the first major cases to be held in person since Britain began to lift its coronavirus lockdown.

Depp entered the witness box of the wood-paneled courtroom wearing a dark suit and tie, and began by taking the court oath and giving his full name: John Christopher Depp II.

Depp acknowledged that he had struggled with fame, saying it meant he was “forced to live the life of a fugitive” with no anonymity.

Depp acknowledged taking myriad drugs over the years, including marijuana, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and prescription painkillers.

He said his drug use began when he was an 11-year-old child in an unstable home. It was “the only way that I found to numb the pain,” he said.

Depp, who appeared calm and considered while giving his answers, acknowledged that he gave his daughter Lily-Rose Depp marijuana when she was 13, saying he wanted to be sure she tried the drug for the first time safely.

“If that is wrong in your eyes. I appreciate what you think. But I was raising a daughter and I was being a responsible parent as far as I’m concerned,” he told the newspaper’s lawyer.

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