JOHNNY Depp is set for the stage in Glasgow just days after the conclusion of his defamation case.
The Hollywood star appeared onstage playing with Jeff Beck at his shows in both London and Sheffield earlier this week – and was spotted hanging out with Sam Fender in a pub in Newcastle as the news came in from the Virginia court on Thursday night.
Following these appearances, a PR agency managing Beck’s Isolation tour confirmed that Depp will be joining all remaining UK dates in the tour.
Glasgow will host the actor at the Royal Concert Hall on Friday night.
It follows Depp winning the defamation suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. He was awarded $10m (£8m) in compensatory damages alongside a further $5m (£4m) in punitive damages in a case that enveloped the world’s media for weeks.
Depp sued the Aquaman star for 50 million dollars over an article titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
The article does not mention him by name, yet his lawyers said it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused Heard while they were together.
Post-verdict, Depp said: “The best is yet to come, and a new chapter has finally begun.
“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.”
“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me.
“It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.”
Heard was awarded two million dollars (£1.6 million) in damages after her counterclaim against Depp over comments made by his lawyer Adam Waldman, who allegedly referred to her abuse claims as a “hoax”, was also found to be defamatory.
Heard said: “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.
“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.”
She added that the verdict “sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.”
It is not the first legal case involving the pair.
In 2018 an article by The Sun newspaper’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, was published, in which he referred to Depp as a “wife-beater” in the headline.
The actor filed his libel claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN) – the owner of The Sun.
The pair then met in the Royal Courts Of Justice in London for Depp’s NGN libel suit which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Following a 16-day trial in July, a judge found the content of the article proven to be “substantially true”.
Justice Nicol refused Depp’s application for permission to appeal against his ruling at the Court of Appeal.
Depp’s lawyers filed grounds of appeal with the Court of Appeal, arguing the actor “did not receive a fair trial” and that Justice Nicol’s ruling was “plainly wrong” and “manifestly unsafe”.
The UK Court Of Appeal then refused permission for Depp to appeal against the High Court ruling.
