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A foul-mouthed track on a rock album recorded by star actor Johnny Depp who was labelled a “wife beater” in court for brutal attacks on his ex, puts centre stage how his picture was used by a huge department store in Cardiff, and that officials there failed to provide a statement explaining the controversial policy.
Mr Depp recorded the track on the album called 18, of ageing rocker Jeff Beck which was released on Friday, and he sings: “i think you’ve said enough for one motherf***ing night”.
The reviews, though, have not been good.
One critic said: “The perfunctory covers on this collaborative album serve to show just how bad Depp’s own songwriting is, as he rants about how awful it is to be him”.
In the song “Sad Motherf***in’ Parade” he croons: “You’re sitting there like a dog with a seven-year itch”.
It has been reported in the UK press that this is a direct reference to his acrimonious libel battles with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
The Sunday Times (ST) reported: “Depp blasts away post-courtroom blues with hate song for Heard”.
In the original UK libel hearing, Mr Justice Nicol ruled that Mr Depp attacked Ms Heard on a dozen occasions during their relationship, and that an article about the assaults in The Sun (TS), was “substantially true”.
It was found in court, that Mr 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.
However, he was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages by a court in Virginia USA, over a first-person Washington Post article four years ago from Ms Heard, in which she had claimed she was a survivor of domestic abuse.
His former wife had authored an opinion piece in the newspaper, which Mr Depp claimed was clearly about him, even though he wasn’t named.
For her part, Ms Heard launched a $100 million counter-claim against Mr Depp, alleging that he orchestrated a smear campaign against her.
Despite the libel trial judgement in the UK court, the giant department store John Lewis (JL) continued to use a large picture of Mr Depp to sell Dior’s Eau Sauvage in the perfume department of its Cardiff shop, and the ONLY response from the JL PO has been: “Hello Phil, Thank you for your email and getting in touch. We will look into this for you – please could you let me know what your deadline is?”
It was also ruled in the UK court case, that
- In early 2013, Mr Depp slapped and knocked Ms Heard to the ground after she made a joke about his “Wino Forever” tattoo.
- In March 2013, Mr Depp flew into a rage while high on drugs and hit Ms Heard so hard he made her lip bleed.
- In June 2013, Mr Depp attacked Ms Herd in a trailer at Hicksville – throwing glasses at her and ripping her dress.
- In May 2014, Mr Depp screamed at her on a private jet after taking drugs and boozing before kicking her in the back or bum.
- In 2014, Mr Depp grabed Ms Heard by the hair, slapped her and pushed her to the ground on a detox trip to the Bahamas.
- In January 2015, Mr Depp again attacked Ms Heard while on drugs – this time slapping her and pushing her to the ground. He then stood over her yelling.
- In March 2015, Mr Depp launched into a brutal three-day attack in Australia – leaving Ms Heard with a broken lip, swollen nose and cuts all over her body. He trashed the house in a violent rampage and pushed her to the ground, choking her and spitting in her face.
- In March 2015 in the couple’s LA home, Mr Depp grabbed Ms Heard in front of her sister and repeatedly hit her.
- In August 2015 on the couple’s honeymoon, Mr Depp pushed Ms Heard against a wall by grabbing her by the throat.
- In December 2015, Mr Depp chucked a glass decanter at Ms Heard 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”. Mr Depp then pushed her face into a mattress and repeatedly punched her in the back of the head.
- In April 2016 at Ms. Heard’s birthday party, Mr Depp assaulted her after receiving “grim news” about his finances.
- In May 2016, Mr Depp chucked a phone at Ms Heard – injuring her eye – before pulling her hair and striking her.
The judge in the UK libel case brought by Mr Depp, dismissed two allegations made by Ms Heard, but did not conclude she had been untruthful. These were that:
- In December 2014, Ms Heard claimed Mr Depp was “violent towards” her, and later branded himself a “f***ing savage”. This is, perhaps, appropriate given that the male perfume Mr Depp advertises is ‘Sauvage’.
- In November 2015, she said Mr Depp “threw her around the room” and pushed her over a chair.
With this background, the silence by JL over the policy of using a large picture of Mr Depp, to promote the sale of male perfume, seems bizarre in the extreme.
Despite his victory in the American court, Mr Depp’s film career has not yet fully recovered.
In an interview with the ST last year he said he was the subject of a Hollywood boycott.
It appears that our Editor Phil Parry may also have been boycotted by the JL media relations office, even though they said “We will look into this for you”…
The memories of our Editor, Phil Parry’s, astonishing 38 year award-winning career in journalism (including some of the IMMEDIATE responses from Media Offices) as he was gripped by the rare neurological disabling condition, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have been released in a major book ‘A GOOD STORY’. Order the book now!
Regrettably publication of another book, however, was refused, because it was to have included names.
Tomorrow – we examine the vicious Conservative leadership race, as the extraordinary contest moves into a last voting round for MPs, before they rise for the summer recess, and the final two candidates face scrutiny by ordinary members of the party.
