Mcb777 LiveWife-beater Johnny Depp LOSES bid to appeal ruling after The Sun revealed he beat ex Amber Heard 12 times | The Sun - Mcb777 Live

SHAMED Johnny Depp today LOST his bid to appeal against a scathing High Court ruling that he battered ex-wife Amber Heard 12 times.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star lost a blockbuster libel case against The Sun in November last year in a stunning victory for press freedom.

Amber and Johnny divorced after two years of marriage — Johnny Depp is battling for an appeal

A judge at the High Court ruled we were right to brand Depp, 57, a "wife beater" for the brutal attacks on his ex, 34..

But Depp asked the Court of Appeal to grant permission for an appeal that could overturn the verdict and see a retrial take place.

Top judges today dramatically ruled against the Hollywood actor as the appeal has "no real prospect of success".

Lord Justice Underhill, sitting with Lord Justice Dingemans, said: "The hearing before (Mr Justice) Nicol was full and fair, and he gave thorough reasons for his conclusions which have not been shown even arguably to be vitiated by any error of approach or mistake of law."

Amber Heard spoke of the 'incredibly painful' trial — Amber previously said she was left fearing for her life

The conclusion today was welcomed by Ms Heard.

A spokeswoman for the actress said: "We are pleased - but by no means surprised - by the court's denial of Mr Depp's application for appeal.

"The evidence presented in the UK case was overwhelming and undeniable.

"To reiterate, the original verdict was that Mr Depp committed domestic violence against Amber on no fewer than 12 occasions and she was left in fear of her life.

"The verdict and lengthy, well-reasoned judgment, including the confidential judgment, have been affirmed.

"Mr Depp's claim of new and important evidence was nothing more than a press strategy, and has been soundly rejected by the court."

In a statement after the ruling, The Sun added: "The Sun had every confidence that this leave to appeal application would not be granted and are pleased with today's decision.

"The case had a full, fair and proper hearing, and today's decision vindicates the courageous evidence that Amber Heard gave to the court about domestic abuse, despite repeated attempts to undermine and silence her by the perpetrator.

"The Sun will continue to stand up and campaign for victims of domestic abuse."

The Sun's lawyers called it a "victory for the freedom of the press and for victims of domestic violence everywhere".

Depp battered Ms Heard 12 timesCredit: PA:Press Association

Depp's UK lawyer, Joelle Rich of Schillings Partners, said. "The evidence presented at last week's hearing (the appeal of Mr. Depp vs. News Group Newspapers LTD) further demonstrates that there are clear and objective reasons to seriously question the decision reached in the UK court.

"Mr. Depp looks forward to presenting the complete, irrefutable evidence of the truth in the US libel case against Ms. Heard where she will have to provide full disclosure."

At a hearing last week, Depp's lawyers said new evidence refuted Ms Heard’s claim that she gave her £5.5million divorce settlement to charity.

She publicly pledged to split the money she won from Depp equally between the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

The last-ditch attempt by Depp saw old claims Ms Heard was a "gold-digger" - dismissed by the High Court previously - dragged back up in another character assassination.

His lawyer Andrew Caldecott QC said the claim was a "calculated and manipulative lie", which gave Ms Heard "a considerable boost to her credibility as a person".

He also claimed the charity pledge "tipped the scales against Mr Depp from the very beginning".

But the ruling today said the court made "no finding about whether her statements about her donations were misleading" in another blow for Depp.

Heard has claimed she was left bruised after Depp head-butted her — Heard said she was left with these injuries after being headbutted by her ex

Heard has alleged she was left with bruises after altercations during the couple's marriage, with pictures here claimed to have been taken after a row in December 2015 — The judge ruled Heard was left with bruising

Adam Wolanski QC, representing News Group Newspapers, said the new evidence “would not have had any impact” on the result of the trial.

He said the issue of donating the settlement to charity was only of relevance to "the so-called 'gold-digger' thesis, and that was of course a thesis that was expressly abandoned by Depp's legal team during the trial".

Mr Wolanski added: "The labelling of Ms Heard as a gold-digger was a misogynistic trope. The gold-digger theory was hopeless."

He also rejected Depp's claim Ms Heard had lied about donating her divorce settlement to charity, saying: "The information does not demonstrate that Ms Heard lied."

The 12 times Depp beat Amber

THE judge ruled Depp attacked his ex-wife 12 times in their relationship. These were:

In early 2013, Depp slapped and knocked Heard to the ground after she made a joke about his "Wino Forever" tattoo
In March 2013, the actor flew into a rage while high on drugs and hit Amber so hard he made her lip bleed
In June 2013, Depp attacked Amber in a trailer in Hicksville - throwing glasses at her and ripping her dress
In May 2014, the actor screams at his wife on a private jet after taking drugs and boozing before kicking her in the back or bum
In 2014, Depp grabs Amber by the hair, slaps her and pushes her to the ground on a detox trip to the Bahamas.
In January 2015, the star again attacks Amber while on drugs - this time slapping her and pushing her to the ground. He then forced her tears as he stood over her yelling.
In March 2015, Depp launches into a brutal three-day attack in Australia - leaving Heard with a broken lip, swollen nose and cuts all over her body. He trashed the house in the violent rampage and pushed Amber to the ground, choking her and spitting in her face as he made the star "fear for her her life"
In March 2015 in the couple's LA home, Depp grabbed Amber in front of her sister Whitney and repeatedly hit her
In August 2015 on the couple's honeymoon, Depp pushed Amber against a wall by grabbing her by the throat
In December 2015, Depp chucked a glass decanter at Amber at their LA home in a drug binge. He also slapped her and dragged her through the apartment by her hair - ripping a chunk out. He then hit her again in the back of the head and headbutted her in the face and screamed 'I will f***ing kill you'. Depp then pushed her face into a mattress and repeatedly punched her in the back of the head
In April 2016 at Amber's birthday party, Depp assaulted his wife after receiving 'grim news' about his finances.
In May 2016, Depp chucked a phone at Heard - injuring her eye - before pulling her hair and striking her

The judge dismissed two allegations made by Ms Heard but did not conclude she had been untruthful. These were:

In December 2014, Heard claimed Depp was "violent towards" her and later branded himself a "f***ing savage"
In November 2015, she said Depp "threw her around the room" and pushed her over a chair

Leading media lawyer Mark Stephens said Depp’s appeal was destined to fail.

He added: “Mr Justice Nicol was the ultimate finder of fact in this case. The Court of Appeal could only interfere if the judge has made a mistake on the law, but even Depp’s own lawyers were unable to identify any legal error.

“The appeal was hopeless and hapless. It could never have succeeded. It was a cynical attempt to undermine the judge’s very careful decision and distract from the facts.”

Last year, Mr Justice Nicol concluded Depp beat Ms Heard 12 out of 14 times - starting in 2013 when he slapped the actress when she made a comment about his tattoo.

He dismissed two allegations made by Ms Heard in 2014 and 2015 but said he couldn't conclude she had been "untruthful" about it.

The Sun reports on the dramatic win last year

The judge also found Depp put his ex-wife in "fear for her life" on three occasions - including during a "three-day hostage situation" in Australia in March 2015 where £120,000 worth of damage was caused to their rented home.

The 16-day libel trial - considered the biggest in the 21st Century - unfolded in July with a string of bombshell revelations.

A string of megastars were dragged into the case - including Kate Moss, Sir Elton John and Rolling Stones star Keith Richards.

The court also heard how Depp sent messages to Brit actor pal Paul Bettany, plotting to drown and burn her as a witch and “f**k her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead”.

Over the course of their stormy marriage, the judge found Depp battered his wife after slipping into his "monster" persona when he binged on drink and drugs.

He left the actress "fearing for her life" in violent rampages where Ms Heard was choked, pushed to the ground and repeatedly hit.

Depp had branded the Aquaman star's allegations a "hoax" and accused her of attacking him as he gave evidence for more than 20 hours at the High Court.

HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:

Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:

Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.

If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].

Women’s Aid provides a from 10:00am - 4:00pm weekdays, 10:00am - 12:00pm weekends.

You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

The Alice in Wonderland star also tried to smear his ex-wife's reputation - even making an extraordinary false claim Ms Heard pooed in their marital bed after a fight.

But the judge said The Sun's publishers, News Group Newspapers (NGN), had proved what was in the 2018 article to be "substantially true".

He also dismissed Depp's description of his ex-wife as a "gold-digger", saying: "I do not accept this characterisation of Ms Heard."

The loss left his reputation in tatters, with his glittering silver screen career facing ruin.

Shortly after the judgment, Depp was dumped by Warner Bros from the new Fantastic Beasts movie and is now believed to be blacklisted in Hollywood.

Mr Justice Nicol said in November: "Although he has proved the necessary elements of his cause of action in libel, the defendants have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.

"I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely, as well as the over-arching considerations which the claimant submitted I should take into account."

Ms Heard met Depp on the set of The Rum Diary in 2013 and they wed in 2015.