In Depp v News Group Newspapers [2020] EWHC 2911 (QB), Mr Justice Nicol held the allegations in The Sun article by journalist Dan Wootton were ‘substantially true’, and the newspaper was justified in reporting he was violent towards his ex-wife, actor Amber Heard. Nicol J held 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence were proven to the civil standard of proof.
The high-profile trial took place over three weeks, and the 129-page judgment outlines the numerous allegations and counter-allegations in detail. Depp denied the allegations and made counter-allegations of abuse against his ex-wife.
However, Sarah Harding, family partner at Hodge Jones & Allen, said: ‘The high-profile nature of this case meant that it was given a substantial amount of time and resource, which seems to me to be completely unnecessary.
‘While, undoubtedly, cases with cross allegations of abuse by both parties are complex, we’ve worked with many clients in similar cases and, in reality, it is very rare for witnesses to be allowed to give evidence, and the court would usually not allow (and do not have time) to give more than one day, which is usually permitted.
‘At a time where the court system has been hugely impacted by the pandemic, to be given three weeks of High Court time is unacceptable. If this was a domestic abuse case and had been held within the family courts, overseen by a district judge, it would have been a much simpler process, all while still providing the necessary protection to the victim. It is disappointing to see this reflected in our justice system when there is a significant backlog of cases, involving serious allegations which cannot get a court listing at all.’
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