A forensic psychologist has said that Amber Heard has endured multiple acts of violence and sexual abuse at the hands of Johnny Depp.
r Don Hughes said the acts of sexual violence, which he detailed graphically to the court, were often the result of the actor’s “drug rage”.
Mr Depp is suing his former partner for defamation over a 2018 article he wrote in The Washington Post that his lawyers say falsely imply that he physically and sexually abused her.
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Dr Don Hughes said the acts of sexual violence, which he detailed graphically in court, were often the result of the actor’s ‘drug rage’ (Jim Watson/ Associated Press)
The actor has denied all allegations of abuse against his former partner.
Dr Hughes, an expert in interpersonal violence and traumatic stress, said there had been several incidents in which Mr Depp had “infiltrated” Mrs Heard in “moments of dominance”.
The court heard that Dr. Hughes had interviewed Ms. Heard several times for a total of 29 hours, with the Aquaman star reporting several incidents of violence to her.
“There were many incidents of sexual violence in this relationship,” she said.
“These are already documented… where Mr. Depp was drunk or high, he threw her on the bed, tore off her nightgown and tried to have sex with her.
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Mr Depp is suing his former partner for defamation over a 2018 article he wrote in The Washington Post (Jim Watson/ Associated Press)
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“There were times when he was angry he was forced to give her oral sex, these weren’t moments of love, they were moments of anger, moments of dominance, his moments trying to control her. were.”
Dr Hughes then described several instances of sexual violence in court, including a “cavity search” of Ms Heard by an actor looking for drugs.
“These incidents often result in drug-fueled rage,” she said.
Dr Hughes said an incident in Australia in March 2015 was “one of the most serious examples of sexual violence that Ms Heard has suffered”.
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Ms Heard seemed distressed in the courtroom as events were described (Jim Watson/ Associated Press)
“When he was beating her and strangling her and telling her ‘I’m going to kill you… I hate you’… when he grabbed a bottle that was in the bar and that got inside her from the bottle,” she said.
She said Ms Heard later told her that she had gone “outside her body” during the incident and thought “I hope it’s not a broken bottle”.
Ms. Hurd seemed distressed in the courtroom as she narrated the events.
Dr Hughes’ testimony contradicts previous testimony by Shannon Curry, a forensic psychologist appointed by Mr Depp, who said that Mrs Heard did not show symptoms of PTSD and displayed symptoms of two personality disorders.
Dr Hughes also disputed that Ms Heard suffered from personality disorders.
She is the first witness brought in by Ms. Heard’s legal team after Mr. Depp’s lawyers gave her case a rest on Tuesday.
Ms Hurd’s team applied for the case to be dropped, but the motion was rejected by Judge Penny Azkaret, who said the standard for dismissing a case was too high at this point in the trial.
Ms Hurd is also expected to take a stand in the trial, which is taking place in Fairfax County District Court in Virginia, and is expected to last a total of seven weeks.
