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Meanwhile, Amber has maintained Johnny was a great person when he was sober and a monster when he was out of control on drugs, said Johnny sexually assault her, said Johnny insulted her, said Johnny isolated her, said Johnny hit her, said Johnny often told her the only way out of their marriage was death; told friends and family about what was going on; took pictures of said abuse; has audio recordings; has text messages; and had the audacity to leave the person capable of everything above to come out and say she was a public figure representing sexual violence and domestic abuse.....

I believe him when he said he wanted to burn and rape his girlfriend in 2013 to a private text message to Paul Bettany, who agreed with him.

I believe him when he said he wanted to rape Molly in 2017 to a private text message to his assistant.

I believe him when he said he called women "slippery whores" and "fish markets."

I believe him when he said he headbutted Amber in 2016 in a private recording.

I believe him when he begged his girlfriend to write him notes that say "please don't bring out the monster today, please don't hurt me today"

I believe him when he said that "pussy" is his for the taking and if he wants it, he gets it.

I believe him when he told Amber to "not pretend like you have any authority over me" while he screamed at her for daring to hold him to the same standard he holds her to (not secretly record conversations without permission from the other partner).

I believe him when he asked Debbie Lloyd "to find something good to say" because "ultimately he was the client" in 2016.

I believe him when he admits in that same text message that he got Dr. Kipper, who lost his medical license due to overmedicating his patients, to overmedicate Amber to "keep her under control" and "not to kick drugs."

As a barrister, I see many victims of domestic abuse being sued for ‘defamation’, for daring to speak about what their perpetrator did to them. Meanwhile, the world questions whether they’re a ‘real victim’ | Charlotte Proudman

“If she was scared to death, why didn’t she leave?” asked everyone’s favourite Hollywood heartthrob-turned-bad-boy Johnny Depp in court.

He was talking, of course, about his ex-wife Amber Heard, who he is suing for libel in the US over an article she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018. During her testimony, the actress has accused Depp of physical and sexual abuse.

If Depp’s phrase feels familiar, that’s because it is: survivors, families of victims and domestic abuse campaigners have worked tirelessly to stop society using such victim-blaming tropes. Instead of asking a woman why she didn’t escape abuse, ask the man why he abused her in the first place. That would be a good place to start.

Escaping an abusive relationship is one of the most dangerous times for victims. Just because the relationship ends, it doesn’t mean the abuse ends. Post-separation coercive and controlling behaviour is one of the most insidious and corrosive forms of abuse that I’ve ever seen.

Depp lost his defamation claim in the High Court in London in 2020. He was greeted with adoring fans throwing roses at him, blowing kisses and holding supportive banners. I stood next to him after we passed through security, he smiled and I gave him my best dead eyes.

The judge later found that Depp physically assaulted Heard (including headbutting her, tearing out clumps of her hair, and holding her by her neck) and she said she had feared for her life. Depp is alleged to have sent texts to his friend, Paul Bettany, threatening to burn Heard and “f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead”.

It is telling that Depp is dragging Heard through a second high-profile trial in the US, hoping for a better outcome. He is suing her for a whopping $50m – this looks to me like serious financial control.

Both cases in England and the US centre on silencing Heard from speaking about the abuse she says he inflicted on her. I see many victims of domestic abuse being sued for “defamation”, for daring to speak about what their perpetrator did to them.

The world sits in judgment, questioning whether Heard is a “real victim”. Does she look like a victim? Does she speak like a victim? Does she cry like a victim?

Where are the headlines asking if Depp is a perpetrator, judging him on every move that he makes? There are no special measures in court – Depp sits there smiling, while Heard relives abuse and trauma.

Depp’s lawyer is used as a pawn, a weapon to revictimise her for the world’s entertainment. The court has become a tool for a perpetrator to continue his abuse and control. What message does that send out to victims? Victims who don’t have money, fame, photos of injuries and texts threatening to harm them? How do they think they will be treated by the justice system?

The court is asked to pathologise Heard as being “abnormal”, “mentally ill” and “mad”. All too often, victims of domestic abuse are labelled with sexist diagnoses such as “histrionic and borderline personality disorders” by psychologists, rather than understanding that they are suffering with trauma caused by domestic abuse. Heard is no exception.

Dr Curry, a psychologist, suggested that Heard could have two personality disorders, while Dr Hughes diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder. But why isn’t Depp pathologised? Where is his mental health diagnosis?

After all, this is a man who explained his abusive behaviour by calling himself “the monster”. Every headline that has commented on Heard’s mental health has stigmatised people with mental health challenges, while simultaneously undermining the credibility of victims who come forward.

Heard is due to be cross-examined by Depp’s team. I can tell you now how that will play out because I see it every day in courtrooms: “Why didn’t you say no? How drunk were you? You provoked him. You were abusive. It’s your fault.”

These questions blame the victim and render the perpetrator invisible. It’s a tactic that continues to be very effective and persuasive, because it plays on all of the myths we are taught about how abuse works. She lies; he’s a hero.

So, when I see hashtags trending on twitter like, “AmberHeardIsALiar”, I realise how deeply entrenched misogyny is in our society. It doesn’t matter that there is a High Court decision proving that Depp assaulted Heard, it wouldn’t matter if the world watched Depp physically assault Heard in public, people would still support Depp. Why is he above the law?

it didnt matter who won the suit today because all of you, the common people, turned this into a circus where the only losers were domestic violence survivors, not heard, not depp, but you

the slander from both sides against DV survivors of any and all genders was astounding and i dont know how any person, regardless of gender, could ever trust you again

you meme-ifyed and fandomized a trial, which is fucking gross

it made the trial about owning the “other side” rather than actually supporting the survivors in your life

i live with two DV survivors, one guy and one girl and im so fucking terrified at how this is going to affect them in their daily lives, who’a going to believe them, what happens in their upcoming court cases etc.

seriously the attitude that all of you have shown is abhorrent and i wish you could be ashamed of yourselves

also if you’re a TERF and see this post i hope you get a cactus shoved down your throat and choke to death on the spines this post doesn’t support you at all