Heard recalls how Depp 'abuse' started

Amber Heard yesterday told a Virginia court that Johnny Depp physically abused her when they were married, starting with slaps and escalating to a "cavity search" of her body.

Aquaman star Heard took the stand in a defamation case brought by Depp, saying his first physical outburst was after she asked what was written on one of his tattoos. She said he replied "Wino," and she laughed.

"He slapped me across the face," Heard said. Then he slapped her twice more and said "you think it's funny, bitch?"

Depp, 58, had testified he never hit Heard and she was the abuser. The star of the Pirates of the Caribbean films is suing Heard, 36, for US$50 million (HK$389 million), saying she defamed him by claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse.

Heard has counter-sued for US$100 million, saying Depp smeared her by calling her a liar.

Heard said Depp assaulted her several times, usually when he was drinking or using drugs.

In 2013, she said, Depp accused her of inviting suggestive advances from a woman and later ripped off her underwear and stuck his fingers "inside" her.

"He proceeds to do a cavity search," she said. "He's looking for his drugs, his cocaine."

The case hinges on a 2018 article she wrote in The Washington Post, though he did not use his name. They divorced in 2017 after less than two years of marriage.