Jurors in Johnny Depp's libel lawsuit against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, on Monday heard audio recordings in which he referred to the violence that could ensue if their arguments were to escalate.
“The next move, if I don't walk away … it's going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island,” Depp says in the recording.
In other audio clips, Depp loudly shouts obscenities at his wife, calling her degrading names.
Depp winced on the stand as the clips were played, while Heard appeared to fight back tears.
The clips were part of a gruelling cross-examination of Depp, who took the stand for a fourth day to give evidence over his allegations that Heard falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser.
Heard's lawyers are expected to continue their onslaught of questions during their cross-examination. Questions have focused on Depp's drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.
Heard’s lawyers argue that Depp physically and sexually abused her and that his denials lack merit because he was often intoxicated to the point of blacking out.
Depp's last day on the stand was Thursday. Heard's lawyers referenced his history of trashing hotel rooms as well as the time he smashed a bathroom sconce during an argument with Heard.
He is also facing a lawsuit filed by a member of a film crew who has claimed the actor assaulted them in 2018.
The jury has seen dozens of Depp's texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his former wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.
Depp is suing Heard for libel over a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post, in which she refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.
The piece does not name Depp but his lawyers argue that it clearly references a restraining order that Heard sought in May 2016, right after Depp told her he wanted a divorce.
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This photo was taken at the Los Angeles courthouse the day Heard filed her domestic violence restraining order against Johnny Depp. AP -
Evidence showing pictures of injuries to Heard appear on a screen. EPA -
Actor Johnny Depp is seen laying in a hospital after his finger was injured while he and his ex-wife Amber Heard were in Australia in March 2015. Photo: Johnny Depp Legal Team / Reuters -
Evidence presented by US actress Amber Heard showing a bald spot in her head. AFP -
Evidence showing US actress Amber Heard's hair she testified was pulled out by her ex-husband Johnny Depp. AFP -
Evidence showing pictures of US actress Amber Heard's injuries presented in court. AFP -
Evidence showing pictures of US actress Amber Heard appear on a screen during a defamation trial. AFP -
More evidence showing pictures of US actress Amber Heard. AFP -
Johnny Depp reportedly wrote messages in his own blood to his former wife Amber Heard. EPA -
Pictures of shattered glass presented as evidence by Amber Heard's defence team. EPA -
Photo presented as evidence by Amber Heard's defence team. EPA -
This is a photo of the ping pong table where Amber Heard testified she was sexually assaulted by her former husband Johnny Depp. EPA -
Johnny Depp's scribblings presented as evidence by Amber Heard's defence team. EPA -
Evidence appears on a monitor during the Depp vs Heard defamation trial. EPA -
Evidence appears on a monitor during the Depp vs Heard defamation trial. -
A photo of Johnny Depp that Amber Heard says she took of him whilst he was passed out. EPA -
Communications presented as evidence by Amber Heard's defence team. EPA -
Evidence appears on a monitor in the courtroom during the 50 million US dollar Depp vs Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, EPA -
More evidence was shared in the courtroom in the US actor Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial. EPA -
Johnny Depp's emails were submitted as evidence in today's trial. EPA -
An image taken by US actress Amber Heard of her former husband, Johnny Depp, passed out was submitted as trial evidence. EPA -
Johnny Depp testified that these pictures were taken during the period when he had 'fallen off the wagon'. EPA -
Evidence shown in today's proceedings. When asked if he would often drink whisky in the morning, Mr Depp replied: “Isn’t happy hour anytime?” -
US actress Amber Heard reacts as she listens to an audio recording of she and US actor Johhny Depp arguing. AFP -
US actor Johnny Depp testifies during the 50 million US dollar Depp vs Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia. EPA -
US actress Amber Heard during the trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia. EPA -
Images of Amber Heard admitted as evidence. AP -
Images of Amber Heard admitted as evidence. AP -
Images of Amber Heard admitted as evidence. AP
Depp said the accusations and the article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Heard's lawyers say Depp's damaged reputation is the result of his own bad behaviour.
The actor has been on the stand in Fairfax County Circuit Court since Tuesday afternoon. His previous evidence described the couple’s volatile relationship, but he has denied that he ever abused Heard.
He said that Heard abused drugs and often violently attacked him, and added that the drug addiction accusations against him are “grossly embellished”, though he acknowledged taking many drugs.
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A mutual friend said that Johnny Depp and his wife Amber Heard were very in love yet often 'vicious' towards one another. -
Johnny Depp leaves court after jury selection in his $50 million defamation lawsuit against former wife Heard. EPA -
US actress Amber Heard leaves the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia on April 11. AFP -
Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard, after she wrote an opinion piece in 'The Washington Post' in 2018 that, without naming him, accused him of domestic abuse. Reuters -
Jury selection began on April 11 in the defamation case involving allegations of spousal abuse between Depp and Heard. AFP -
Depp fan David Laman holds a poster outside the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse as jury selection progressed. Reuters -
Tiffany Lunn, a supporter of Depp, outside the court in Fairfax, Virginia. AP -
Johnny Depp fans at the courthouse. AP -
The defamation case brought by Depp against former wife Heard is expected to last between five and six week. Reuters -
Depp leaves the High Court in London, England, on July 22, 2020, during the libel case there. Reuters -
Heard arrives at the High Court in London. Reuters -
Depp and Heard at the 72nd Venice Film Festival in northern Italy, 2015. Reuters
