Lawyers for Johnny Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard questioned the Pirates of the Caribbean star on Thursday in his defamation case, showing jurors text messages in which Mr Depp referred to a "monster" inside him that he kept in check.
Mr Depp (58) is suing Ms Heard (35) for $50 million (€46m) in a Virginia court after she accused him of abuse. He has argued that Ms Heard was the one who became violent in the relationship.
Starting their cross-examination of Mr Depp, Ms Heard’s attorneys read text messages that Mr Depp sent in 2015 near the start of their roughly two-year marriage.
“We’ve been perfect. All I had to do was send the monster away and lock him up, we’ve been happier than ever,” he texted to a former security guard.
“Amber and I have been absolutely perfect . . . I have locked my monster child away in a cage deep within and it has f**king worked,” Mr Depp said in a text to one of his doctors.
Mr Depp said Ms Heard used the word monster to describe when she thought he was using drugs or alcohol, though he said her perception was not always accurate.
In other texts to friends or associates, Mr Depp referred to Ms Heard as a “filthy whore” and other names.
Writing to actor Paul Bettany in 2013, Mr Depp said: "Let's drown her before we burn her" and "I will f**k her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she is dead."
Mr Depp apologised to Ms Heard in a text in 2014, saying he was a “savage” and “went too far”.
On Wednesday, Mr Depp told a Virginia jury that Ms Heard would “strike out” with a slap or shove. During one argument, Ms Heard threw a vodka bottle at Mr Depp’s hand, cutting off the top of his right middle finger, he said. Another time, Ms Heard repeatedly punched him, he said.
In a separate legal case in Britain, Ms Heard denied throwing a bottle and severing Mr Depp’s finger. She said she threw things only to escape when he was beating her, and once punched him because she feared he would push her sister downstairs.
Mr Depp said he never struck Ms Heard or any woman. He has accused Ms Heard, also an actor, of defaming him when she penned a December 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post about being a survivor of domestic abuse.
The article never mentioned Mr Depp by name, but his lawyer told jurors it was clear Ms Heard was referencing him.
Mr Depp said Ms Heard’s allegations cost him “nothing less than everything”. A new Pirates movie was put on hold, and Mr Depp was dropped from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, a Harry Potter spinoff.
Attorneys for Ms Heard have argued that she told the truth and that her opinion was protected free speech under the US constitution’s First Amendment. In opening arguments, Ms Heard’s attorneys said Mr Depp physically and sexually assaulted her while abusing drugs and alcohol.
A state court judge in Fairfax County, Virginia, is overseeing the trial, which is in its second week and is expected to last six weeks.
Less than two years ago, Mr Depp lost a libel case against The Sun, a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater”. A London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted Ms Heard.
Mr Depp’s lawyers have said they filed the US case in Fairfax County, outside the nation’s capital, because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper is not a defendant.
Ms Heard, known for roles in Aquaman and Justice League, and Mr Depp were married for roughly two years. Their divorce was finalised in 2017.
Ms Heard has brought her own libel claim against Mr Depp, saying he smeared her by calling her a liar. Ms Heard’s counterclaim, seeking $100 million, will be decided as part of the trial.
The trial continues. – Reuters
If you are affected by the issues raised in this report, helplines are available at:
Women’s Aid – 1800 341 900
Safe Ireland – Phone 1800 341 900
Men’s Aid – 01 554 3811