Johnny Depp loses libel battle against The Sun over ‘wife beater’ claims

Johnny Depp has lost his libel battle against the publisher of The Sun newspaper over an article which claimed he was a “wife beater”.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star sought to sue the tabloid's publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) and its executive editor Dan Wootton over the 2018 article, which alleged he was violent to ex-wife Amber Heard during their relationship.

In the column, Mr Wootton asked how Harry Potter author JK Rowling could be "genuinely happy" after Mr Depp was cast in the latest film of the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series.

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Both Mr Depp and actress Ms Heard gave evidence during a three-week trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, which featured days of high drama, claims of brutal violence and sensational revelations about their tempestuous relationship.

Mr Depp repeatedly denied ever having been violent to Ms Heard, however Sasha Wass QC, for NGN, argued there was "no doubt that Mr Depp regularly and systematically abused his wife”.