Amber Heard can be present during trials in Johnny Depp's libel case

A UK High Court judge has ruled that Johnny's Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard can be present in the court when the actor testifies in a libel case. The Hollywood actor's lawyers have failed to stop his ex-wife from attending his libel trial against a British tabloid newspaper group.

Johnny Depp's lawyers had asked the judge to keep Amber Heard from attending the trial until she appears to give evidence. According to Cinema Blend, trial judge Andrew Nicol said that excluding Amber Heard from the London courtroom before she testifies in the case "would inhibit the defendants in the conduct of their defense," as per a court order published on Saturday.

The judge noted that the 34-year-old actress is not defending the claim, while conceding they will be relying "heavily" on what she says. The 57-year-old actor is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), and executive editor Dan Wootton, over a 2018 article claiming the actor was violent and "wife beater." Depp has strongly denied the allegations.

The trial was earlier scheduled for March but was later postponed to July due to the coronavirus pandemic. The court proceedings are scheduled to start Tuesday and last three weeks. Other witnesses are likely to include Depp's ex-partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, who have both submitted statements supporting the actor.

There were rumours of violent confrontations between Depp and Heard during their marriage. There were also calls made to 911, besides an incident in which Depp's finger was severed. The actor filed a $50 million defamation suit against his ex-wife after she wrote an article in The Washington Times in 2018 about being a domestic abuse victim without taking Depp's name.

The actor filed the suit on the grounds that Heard's "false" allegations cost him the prized role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.