Aquaman star Amber Heard has appeared close to tears in court, as her team's first witness testified that Depp allegedly assaulted the actress repeatedly and performed cavity searches on his then-wife.
Dr Dawn Hughes, a New York-based forensic psychologist and expert on domestic violence, took to the stand to reveal what Heard had told her about Depp's acts of 'sexual violence'.
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Hughes told the court that the Pirates of the Caribbean star was 'was drunk or high he threw [Heard] on the bed, ripped off her nightgown and tried to have sex with her'.
She also told the court another harrowing story against Depp: "He forced her to give him oral sex when he was angry.
"These weren't loving moments, these were dominant moments."
The domestic violence expert revealed that, on another occasion, Depp 'performed a cavity search' on his now ex-wife, adding he was 'he was looking for drugs'.
Hughes told the court that the now-58-year-old actor thought it was 'acceptable to rip off her nightgown and stick his fingers up her vagina, looking for cocaine'.
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The psychologist also told the court of an incident, which happened in a closet, when Depp allegedly put his fingers in Heard's vagina and 'moved her around violently'.
Hughes described 'alcohol fuelled' incidents where the actor threw Heard on a bed to initiate sex.
"If he was not able to perform he would get more angry at her and blame her," Dr Hughes told the court.
The psychologist's testimony kicks off Amber Heard's defence against her ex-husband, who has sued her for $50 million ($AUD 70.4m, £40m) in a defamation suit.
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Heard has counter-sued for $100 million ($AUD 140.8m, £80m).
Depp's legal action came after Depp wrote a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, which was headlined: "I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change."
While Heard didn't name Depp in the article, it was 'reasonably inferred' that she was talking about her former husband.
Depp has filed his suit over three statements in the article: the op-ed headline, how Heard described herself as 'a public figure representing domestic abuse', and the third was when she wrote she 'had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real-time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse'.
Topics: Johnny Depp, US News, Celebrity
Rachel Lang