Johnny Depp painted messages on mirror using his own blood, court hears during London libel trial

Johnny Depp used the blood from the severed tip of his finger to paint messages on a mirror, a court heard Thursday, the third day of his libel trial against the publisher of The Sun newspaper in London.

Depp is suing Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers and journalist Dan Wootton for an article on The Sun website on April 27, 2018 that described him as a “wife beater.” Depp denies that he was violent toward his former wife Amber Heard, to whom he was married from 2015 to 2017.

Giving evidence at London’s Royal Courts of Justice, Depp said he could see “bone sticking out” after Heard allegedly threw a bottle at him, cutting off the tip of his finger. Heard denies injuring his finger.

“The damage to your finger was very serious, wasn’t it? And very painful?” Sasha Wass, The Sun’s attorney, asked. Depp agreed. Wass asked why he didn’t call for medical help immediately. “It was hours and hours before you called for any help,” she said.

Heard alleged that Depp had drank a bottle of vodka and Malbec wine, and took 10 ecstasy tablets on the day of his injury, Wass told the court.

The incident occurred at a rented house in Australia while he was filming “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” shortly after their wedding in February 2015. Depp said the argument started as a disagreement over a post-nuptial agreement.

Depp said he was unhappy at the time due to his work on the film. “On every other film of the Pirates series,” Depp said he had “written everything for the character [Captain Jack Sparrow].” Depp denied he was jealous of Billy Bob Thornton, who had been working with Heard in London.

Depp accepted that the rented house in Australia was “wrecked” during their stay there. He recalled damage to the floors and sofas, saying there was “quite a lot of blood.” He was “party” to the damage, he said, but claimed it was Heard who caused the most damage. The damage was estimated as being between £100,000 ($126,000) and $189,000, the court heard.

Depp said there were several times when he told Heard: “We are a crime scene waiting to happen.”

Later in the cross-examination, Depp was accused of repeated attacks against Heard in December 2015, including grabbing her by the hair and dragging her upstairs, pulling out clumps of her hair, headbutting her, giving her two black eyes and injuries around her nose and mouth, and breaking her nose. On Dec. 16, 2015, Heard sent a text to a friend saying: “I need you. J beat me up pretty good… I’m hurt. I don’t know what to do.” Depp denied all the accusations of violence.

Depp is to give more evidence Friday, his last day on the witness stand.