The judge threw out Depp’s defamation case after finding the story was "substantially true"

Johnny Depp has lost his long-running libel battle with ex-wife Amber Heard and The Sun newspaper.

The trial took place over 16 days. London's High Court found The Sun's report on allegations that the actor is a "wife beater" was "substantially true".

Heard claimed Depp hit her 14 times during their fraught three-year relationship.

Mr Justice Nicol ruled Depp had "no mercy" for his wife. He concluded that Depp beat the actress a dozen times, beginning in 2013 when he slapped the actress after she made a comment about his tattoo.

He dismissed two allegations made by Amber Heard in 2014 and 2015.

The judge found that Depp battered his wife after flying into drug and booze-fuelled rages.

Johnny Depp had branded the 'Aquaman' star's allegations a "hoax" and that she was a "gold-digger".

Depp had also sued the Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article published in the Sun in April 2018 that originally carried the headline: "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?"

The judge threw out Depp’s defamation case after finding the story was "substantially true".

Over the course of the trial, various outrageous allegations shocked the public, including a claim from Depp that Heard defecated in their marital bed.

Depp meanwhile admitted to taking large amounts of cocaine and spending £23,000 on red wine every month.

The two actors met on the set of 'The Rum Diary' in 2013 and got married in 2015.

They divorced two years later. A year after that, Amber Heard obtained a restraining order against Johnny Depp, accusing him of abuse.

Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, U.S. counsel for Amber Heard, said: "For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and Judgment are not a surprise.

"Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the U.S.

"We are committed to obtaining justice for Amber Heard in the US court and defending Ms Heard's right to free speech."