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25th Mar 2021

Johnny Depp loses bid to appeal ‘wife beater’ ruling

Danny Jones

Johnny Depp libel appeal denied

The actor has been in a long court case battle with ex-wife, Amber Heard

Johnny Depp has been denied the chance to appeal against a High Court ruling that he assaulted his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

The actor had asked the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the ruling of the libel case he lost against the publisher of The Sun over an article which branded him a “wife beater”.

Depp was refused permission on Thursday, with a judge rejecting his application and saying the appeal had “no real prospect of success”.

The alleged assault first made headlines in 2013, when Heard stated that she “feared for her life” on at least three separate occasions. Depp denies all claims and insists that it was he who was the victim of assault.

Evidence from both sides has been challenged with audio of Heard allegedly admitting to assaulting Depp surfacing, sparking the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp trend to gain traction last year.

The Sun’s article was published in April 2018 and was the subject of a three-week trial during July of last year.

Depp sued News Group Newspapers (NGN),The Sun’s publisher, over accusations he was violent towards Ms Heard, but the newspaper insisted its article had been accurate.

The libel claim was rejected by Mr Justice Nicol, who said The Sun’s claim was “substantially true”, ruling in the newspaper’s favour.

The judge found the 57-year-old, had assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in “fear for her life” three times, but the verdict was only made public last November.