Johnny Depp, described as abusive husband by the Sun, loses libel case

Johnny Depp on Monday lost his libel case against British tabloid

, which had described the Hollywood star as an abusive husband towards actress Amber Heard.

Judge Andrew Nicol's decision is a blow to the reputation of the actor of

and

.

After 35 years of career, the latter had taken big risks by attacking News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of the daily newspaper which had qualified it of "batter of women".

The three-week trial in July at the High Court in London, often in the presence of the 57-year-old comedian and his ex-wife Amber Heard (and their respective fans), resulted in a spill of gloomy revelations about their private life.

Drug addiction, accusations of deception and even excrement found in the marital bed were discussed, fueling the tabloid headlines. 

"Victims of domestic violence should never have to be silent"

Relying mainly on the statements of the actress, the

had invoked 14 episodes of violence, all disputed by Johnny Depp.

After "reviewing in detail" 14 episodes, Judge Nicol found in his judgment that the Sun's qualifications were "substantially true".

"Victims of domestic violence should never have to be silent," responded a spokesperson for the

, thanking the judge and the actress "for her courage to testify in court".

"This decision and this judgment are not a surprise", reacted the lawyers of the actress of 34 years, who had the status of witness at the trial, saying to want "to obtain justice" in another procedure underway in the United States. .

A "painful" trial 

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met on the set of

in 2011, before tying the knot in February 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

The couple had divorced with a bang in early 2017. The actress of

and

then spoke of "years" of "physical and psychological" violence, accusations strongly rejected by Johnny Depp.

During the trial, the lawyer for the daily, Sasha Wass, had crushed the excesses of the actor, "subject to irrational mood swings" when he drank and used narcotics.

The American actor has admitted abuse of drugs and alcohol but claims to have never raised a hand on a woman, supported on this point by the written testimonies of his ex-companions Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, the French singer describing him in procedural testimony as "a kind, caring, generous and non-violent man and father."

Johnny Depp accused Amber Heard of violence in return.

In his argument, the actor's lawyer, David Sherborne, had asked the judge to "cleanse the name" of Johnny Depp of these "scandalous" and "false" accusations which led him to initiate this "painful" trial .

Her lawyer has methodically emphasized flaws and modifications in Amber Heard's statements, to discredit the whole story of what he called a "compulsive liar".

Amber Heard meanwhile maintained her statements and lamented that the "most traumatic and intimate details" of her life with Johnny Depp were exposed in court and "broadcast around the world".

"I loved him and I didn't want to lose that (...), his other face was that of a monster, but I always kept the hope that he would detoxify himself", she declared. during the trial.