Johnny Depp’s personal assistant called Amber Heard an “Machiavellian overlord” and “sociopathic” as he accused her of subjecting the Edward Scissorhands star to “years of abuse”.
Stephen Deuters has worked for Depp for 16 years and insisted at the High Court today he has never seen the actor being violent to anyone, including Heard.
Depp is locked in a court showdown with ex-wife Heard as he sues The Sun’s publisher News Group Newspaper over a 2018 article calling him a “wife beater”.
Mr Deuters said he was “outraged” when the allegations against Depp first surfaced with the collapse of the marriage in 2016, insisting: “I know that Ms Heard was the abuser”.
In messages to actor Paul Bettany after the breakdown of the marriage, Mr Deuters called Heard a "talentless c**t", a "Machiavellian overlord", and a "sociopathic show pony", adding: "At least the bitch is gone."
Mr Deuters said in his witness statement he had never seen any injuries on Heard and said she had never complained of being attacked during her relationship with Depp.
“In contrast, Mr Depp told me on multiple occasions that Ms Heard had attacked him or abused him physically and verbally”, he said.
“I along with many others was extremely surprised and outraged when this hit the press.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard at High Court: July 2020
“I knew that Ms Heard was the abuser in the relationship and I was appalled that she would behave in this way.
“She had subjected Mr Depp to years of abuse.”
Mr Deuters was on a private jet flight in 2014 when Depp is accused of kicking Heard in the back, pelting her with ice cubes, and throwing her to the ground in a drink and drug fuelled rage.
Depp denies the allegations, and Mr Deuters said today he only saw a “playful” tap with the star’s foot which he does not think made contact with Heard.
“[She] was speaking at Mr Depp in an increasingly aggressive manner”, he said. “She continued to harangue Mr Depp whereas he did not engage with the abuse he was receiving.
“At some point, Ms Heard stood up and when her left side was towards Mr Depp, Mr Depp made a playful attempt to tap her on the bottom with his shoe.”
Mr Deuters, who is now the European president of Depp’s production company Infinitum Nihil, said the actor went to sleep in the plane’s bathroom to stop Heard from shouting at him, adding that the star appeared “quite sad, quite low”.
Mr Deuters admitted in his evidence that he had sometimes helped Depp to get drugs, though said instances were “very rare”, and suggested the star’s tolerance for alcohol was unusually high.
Asked about texts he had sent to Heard after the incident, Mr Deuters said he was “mollifying” her and regretted using the word “kick” in one message.
“I don't know if I can stay with him”, wrote Heard. Mr Deuters says Depp is “distraught” and she suggested the actor has “no idea what he did or to the extent that he did it” and would be “appalled” if told.
Mr Dueters wrote: “He was appalled. When I told him he kicked you, he cried. It was disgusting. And he knows it.”
Mr Deuters told the court he was instructed by Depp to speak to Heard after an argument, and said he was “uncomfortable” being put in the middle as he himself is a survivor of domestic abuse.
“It wasn’t my job to be a relationship counsellor”, he said. “I didn’t do well with conflict, I was seeking to mollify and appease. I wasn’t comfortable in this position.”
He said he referred to the incident as a “kick” as Heard had characterised it that way, adding: “Obviously I regret that, I didn’t realise what was being put together at the time.”
Depp’s lawyer, David Sherborne, asked Mr Deuters: “In their four years together, did you see Mr Depp hit Ms Heard at anytime?”
“Did you see him act violently towards Ms Heard at anytime?, and Mr Deuters replied: “No.”
Asked if he would have stood by and allowed violence to happen, he replied: “Absolutely not”.
The trial continues.