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re: Johnny Depp & Amber Heard Case-Sex Drugs & Dirty Laundry
Johnny Depp Necked Ecstasy and Booze After Attacking Amber Heard-Court Hears
A court heard allegations that Mr Depp had consumed around eight MDMA pills and alcohol after allegedly assaulting his then wife Ms Heard, during an ongoing libel case
Daily Mirror UK, 26 JUN 2020
Johnny Depp "necked ecstasy and booze" after an alleged assault against ex-wife Amber Heard, a court has heard
The Hollywood star, 57, was claimed to have taken "around eight" MDMA pills while drinking and "staying up all night."
Mr Depp is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over a 2018 story in the Sun which branded the actor a "wife beater."
It related to allegations made by Mr Depp's ex-wife, Amber Heard, who claimed Mr Depp was violent toward her.
Mr Depp denies this claim.
Less than two weeks before a trial of the Hollywood star’s claim is due to begin, NGN’s legal team today asked trial judge Mr Justice Nicol to strike out Mr Depp’s claim.
Adam Wolanski QC, for the publisher, told the court there was a “stark conflict” between the evidence of Mr Depp and Ms Heard, in particular regarding events during a visit by the pair to Australia in 2015.
Mr Wolanski read out passages of Ms Heard’s evidence in which she claims she was subjected to “a three-day ordeal of physical assaults” by her former husband, during which time she claimed he was taking MDMA, also known as ecstasy, and drinking heavily.
This allegedly took place during a March 2015 trip to Australia, and is said to have followed an assault on Ms Heard.
Mr Wolanski went on to claim that Mr Depp's "rage on that occasion had been triggered by Ms Heard seeing him use drugs and challenge him about his use of drugs."
Ms Heard said she "confronted" him after he had produced "a bag of MDMA", with Mr Depp allegedly telling her it wasn't on a list of things he wasn't allowed.
Mr Wolanski said Mr Depp’s version of events is that he “expressly denies” he took the drugs, that Ms Heard found a bag of pills or that the pair had any conversations about drug use during that time.
Instead, the actor claims that a row between him and Ms Heard was not about drugs, but was caused by discussion of a post-nuptial agreement Ms Heard did not agree to.
Mr Depp's legal team claimed this caused her to “go into a prolonged and extreme rage”, the court heard.
But Mr Wolanski said a series of text messages, which he referred to as the “Australia drugs texts”, between Mr Depp and his assistant Nathan Holmes demonstrate the actor was trying to get drugs during the visit.
He read out a series of messages sent in late February and early March 2015 – shortly before the alleged incident between Mr Depp and Ms Heard – and told the court the texts included references to “happy pills”, which he said referred to MDMA, and to cocaine.
Mr Depp and Ms Heard finalised their divorce in 2017 (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
The court heard texts show Mr Depp asked Mr Holmes on March 7: "May I be ecstatic again?"
Mr Wolanski said this was an ecstasy reference.
Mr Depp had also asked for more "whitey stuff ASAP" - apparently meaning cocaine.
The barrister said these messages should have been disclosed in evidence and that, by not doing so, Mr Depp was in “serious” breach of a court order.
Mr Wolanski said: “There is a stark conflict of evidence as to whether the claimant took or had in his possession MDMA and other narcotics whilst in Australia in early March 2015.
Mr Depp was alleged to have been abusive toward Ms Heard (Image: Getty)
“The Australia drugs texts on the face of it demonstrate that the claimant was at the very least seeking to obtain such drugs from Mr Holmes in late February and early March 2015, and in all probability had obtained and taken them.”
David Sherborne, representing Mr Depp, said the actor had not deliberately withheld evidence and argued the text messages were “not relevant” because the core issue in the case was not about his drug use.
He said: “The defendants claim, wrongly, that Mr Depp has withheld this document because it is ‘profoundly damaging to his case’; their implied accusation being that he withheld it deliberately. This is untrue."
Mr Depp had allegedly asked for 'more whitey stuff' (Image:
Instagram)
A representative for Mr Depp, David Sherborne, said Mr Depp "admits and admits he drank" during his and Ms Heard's relationship, which she also admits.
But he said the question of whether or not he had or hadn't taken drugs and drank "is not an issue of itself in dispute."
He referenced Mr Depp's evidence in which he said Ms Heard had been "a regular heavy user of drugs throughout our relationship" and that she took drugs more regularly than he did.
Mr Sherborne added that Mr Depp "has had challenges in his life about drink and drugs", but that "does not mean he is going to ask for a drink and drugs."
The barrister added that "No text actually shows he took drugs at all...let alone that he even obtained them."
Mr Sherborne admitted "there are ones that show he asked for them", but that given Mr Depp's "background", this was "not surprising."
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