Johnny Depp was “out of his mind” when he used his severed finger to scrawl messages in blood during an outburst in Australia that caused £150,000 of damage, a court has heard.
Depp, 57, is suing News Group Newspapers over a story published in The Sun in 2018 which branded him a “wife beater” – a claim vehemently denies.
London’s High Court is hearing closing arguments today, with the trial set to conclude tomorrow with a ruling due in October.
During her closing statements today, Sasha Wass, QC, for NGN, addressed the former couple’s 2015 trip to Australia.
Heard had previously claimed it was a “three-day hostage situation” and alleged Depp had thrown bottles at her in a violent rage.
Depp, who denied being violent towards his wife, claimed his finger had been severed by a vodka bottle thrown by Heard, who said he hurt himself by smashing a phone against a wall.
Today Ms Wass revisited the allegations and told the court Depp was “out of his mind” as he used his bloody finger stump “as a paintbrush” to scrawl messages all over the rented house in his own bood.
Ms Wass said Heard’s description “might sound like an incredible account”, but the house had been “completely wrecked”.
Depp’s staff assessed the damage as $75,000 to $150,000
Depp had cut off his own finger, dipped it in paint and scrawled messages all over the property.
Ms Wass asked: “What sort of state was Mr Depp in when he behaved in this way. He was literally out of his mind.
“He was certainly in the mood to hurt Ms Heard and he did hurt her.”
One of the messages appeared to reference Billy Bob Thorton, who had been working with Heard on a movie called London Fields.
Depp scrawled: “Billy Bob,” “Easy Amber” and “Good luck and be careful at the top.”
Ms Wass went on: “This was hatred and violence directed at Ms Heard and Mr Depp’s resentment of her career.”
She told the court said a five-hour tape that inadvertently recorded Depp’s staff afterwards was “significant”.
Ms Wass went on: “The staff seemed neither surprised nor shocked when they saw the damage.
“Nor were they shocked by Ms Heard when she said Mr Depp had taken 10 ecstasy tablets.
“It appeared their primary concern was one of damage limitation to keep this shameless episode quiet.”
Depp must have been in a state of “advanced inebriation and intoxication” not to realise that he needed urgent medical attention, said Ms Wass.
Ms Wass said the “extraordinary extent of the damage” and Depp’s defacing the property in his own blood rather than seeking medical attention showed the actor’s “deranged behaviour”.
Depp previously admitted in court that he’d used his bloody finger to write the messages, and pictures of his scrawl on a mirror was shown in court during the trial.
He was taken to hospital for treatment on his finger, and underwent surgery after flying back to Los Angeles from Australia.
During the trial Depp denied he’d ever been violent towards his ex-wife and claimed she’d been abusive towards him during their relationship.
Lawyers for NGN are defending their case based on Heard’s 14 allegations of abuse, which include claims of bust-ups between 2013 and 2016.
The trial is set to conclude tomorrow, although no ruling is expected immediately.
If Depp is successful in his claim, the judge will have to decide what level of compensation he should receive.