An attorney for Amber Heard says the actress will give a full statement to the Los Angeles Police Department about the repeated physical abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of husband Johnny Depp, and said she initially did not file a police report about a recent alleged domestic violence incident in order to protect both her privacy and Depp’s career.
Heard, 30 alleged last week that the 52-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star repeatedly physically abused her during their 15-month marriage, and that he struck her in the face with a cell phone during a violent altercation on Saturday night. But police arriving at the couple’s residence that night reportedly saw no evidence of injuries to Heard, and the actress declined to file a police report.
The Rum Diary actress filed for divorce from Depp earlier this month.
“As the result of Amber’s decision to decline giving an initial statement to the LAPD, her silence has been used against her by Johnny’s team,” Spector said in a statement provided to the Independent. “Amber did not provide a statement to the LAPD in an attempt to protect her privacy and Johnny’s career.”
“Johnny’s team has forced Amber to give a statement to the LAPD to set the record straight as to the true facts, as she cannot continue to leave herself open to the vicious false and malicious allegations that have infected the media,” Heard’s attorney added. “Amber has suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny. In domestic violence cases, it is not unusual for the perpetrator’s playbook to include miscasting the victim as the villain.”
Depp’s team has vehemently denied that the actor abused Heard, with the actor’s high-powered attorney, Laura Wasser, flatly stating last week that the actress invented the abuse claims to gain a financial upper hand in divorce proceedings.
Depp’s former romantic partners, Vanessa Paradis and Lori Anne Allison, have each released separate statements claiming that Depp never physically abused them throughout their relationships. On Monday, the actor’s friend Doug Stanhope alleged that Heard is attempting to blackmail the actor with the abuse allegations.
Meanwhile, two security guards who were reportedly present during the altercation Saturday night told TMZ on Tuesday that Heard had allegedly yelled “Stop hitting me!’ at Depp, even though at the time, he was in the kitchen and she was sitting on the sofa, at least 20 feet away.
The security guards also told the gossip site that it was Heard who was allegedly regularly violent towards Depp.
“Amber can no longer endure the relentless attacks and outright lies launched against her character in the Court of Public Opinion since the tragic events of May 21st,” Heard’s attorney said. “With her statement Amber hopes to give the LAPD the opportunity to conduct an accurate and complete investigation into the events of that evening and before. If that occurs, and the truth is revealed, there is no doubt that Amber’s claims will be substantiated beyond any doubt, and hopefully Johnny will get the help that he so desperately needs.”
“We took the high road. Unfortunately, Johnny’s team immediately went to the press and began viciously attacking Amber’s character,” Spector added. “Amber is simply a victim of domestic violence, and none of her actions are motivated by money. Amber is a brave and financially independent woman who is showing the courage of her convictions by doing the right thing against Johnny’s relentless army of lawyers and surrogates.”
“The Family Law Court is not going to be influenced by misinformation placed in the social media based on anonymous sources. Amber is the victim. Amber is a hero,” the statement concluded.
Depp’s latest film, Alice Through the Looking Glass, bombed at the domestic box office over Memorial Day weekend, as calls to boycott both the movie and the actor’s Hollywood Vampires rock concert in Sweden have intensified on social media.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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