The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has heard horrifying claims of sexual violence the actor subjected his ex-wife to, from a phycologist who was called as the first defence witness. Johnny denies sexually assaulting Amber.

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Depp trial: Dawn Hughes speaks on sexual abuse allegations

Johnny Depp used his fingers to search Amber Heard’s private parts for cocaine and forced her to perform oral sex, a psychologist has claimed in shocking testimony.

Dr Dawn Hughes was called as the first defence witness in the on-going trial, as Amber’s legal team started their case.

The clinical and forensic phycologist told the court she had performed a phycological evaluation on the actress, 36, and met with her for a total 29 hours.

She said she had diagnosed Amber with post traumatic stress disorder, caused by “intimate partner violence by Mr Depp”.

Johnny, 58, denies ever physically or sexually assaulting his ex-wife.

Dr Hughes went on to list in detail descriptions of sexual violence claims, which were in the notes from Amber’s therapist, Bonnie Jacobs.

The doctor said: “There were a number of incidents of sexual violence reported in this relationship. These are documented from early on in Dr Bonnie Jacob’s notes.

“Where when Mr Depp was drunk or high he threw her on the bed, ripped off her night gown and tried to have sex with her. There were times when he forced her to give him oral sex, when he was angry.

“These weren’t in loving moment, these were angry moments, moments of dominance, moments of him trying to get control over her.

“There was a time when there were in a Hicksville in a trailer park where he was accusing her of a woman hitting on Amber and that was the problem. Amber got accused of women hitting on her and got accused of men hitting on her.

“But on that incident when Kelly-Sue was accused of hitting on Miss Heard and they went back into a trailer Mr Depp performed a cavity search and ostensibly was looking for drugs and felt it acceptable to rip off her night gown and stick his fingers in her vagina to look for cocaine [he] thought that Miss Heard was hiding in there.

“Again these incidents often happened in a drug fuelled rage.”

The doctor continued to list allegations of sexual violence performed by Johnny, with Amber looking visibly upset and close to tears.

She also recounted an alleged incident in the Bahamas when Johnny got angry and put his fingers “in her vagina and moved her around violently in the closet,” she said.

She then went on to describe the “most severe” alleged incident of sexual violence in Australia.

“He was beating her and chocking her and telling her I’m going to f***ing kill you, I hate you I hate you, and he grabbed a bottle that was on the bar and he penetrated her with that bottle.

“And Miss Heard reported to me of disassociating and going outside of her body and the only thing she was thinking was oh God I hope it isn’t the broken one.”

Dr Hughes told the court that Amber was put at at risk of “lethal domestic violence” by Johnny.

Dr Hughes said: “Mr Depp threatened to kill her. The increase in severity of the abuse, the forced sexual activity, the choking behaviour, his obsessive jealousy. The control aspect and his threatening suicide, to kill himself. This means a woman is at risk for more serious, more lethal domestic violence.”

She also said: “Even though she yelled and said some horrible things and hit him, it never was able to shift the balance of power and control in that relationship.”

Dr Hughes also testified Heard was not faking her symptoms, a finding that differed from Depp’s expert witness, Dr Shannon Curry.

Johnny is suing Amber for defamation over a 2018 article she wrote in The Washington Post, which his lawyers say falsely implies he physically and sexually abused her.

He is suing her for more than £38 million, saying her domestic abuse claims have harmed his career and reputation.

As part of his testimony during the trial, Johnny claims he was the victim of domestic abuse in the relationship.

Amber has filed a countersuit against Johnny, seeking almost £78 million in damages and saying his legal team falsely accused her of fabricating claims against the actor.