Johnny Depp’s Wife Amber Heard Pleads Guilty To Pooch Smuggling
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Dog smuggling charges against Amber Heard, wife of Johnny Depp, were dropped after the actress pleaded guilty to lying on her arrival card to Australia in 2015.
According to reports, the 29-year-old pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the immigration regarding her Yorkshire Terriers, Pistol and Boo. The actress was later hit with two charges of illegal importation by the Australian authorities for the violation.
Actress Amber Heard pleads guilty in “war on terrier” case https://t.co/R5yw40VCMt pic.twitter.com/ZK4zhkV5oA
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) April 18, 2016
According to reports, after the couple attended the Southport Magistrate’s Court in Queensland on Monday and pleaded guilty, both charges against Amber were dropped.
As per the law, illegal importation to Australia carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail or a fine up to AU$265,000 or US$195,000. The Australian government accused Amber Heard of bringing Pistol and Boo to Queensland using a private jet in May of 2015 to visit Johnny Depp. He was filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales during the visit.
The presence of the two dogs was noticed after a local dog groomer posted a photo of Pistol and Boo on social media. The case, called “war on terrier,” made international headlines after then-Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said the pets should “bugger off back to the US.” The former Agriculture Minister, who is now the deputy prime minister, said during that time that he would put the dogs down and that even the “sexiest man alive,” which was a title given once to Johnny Depp, will have to adhere to quarantine rules.
The Terriers were quickly removed from the country, and Amber vowed never to return to the area. However, Australia has strict quarantine laws regarding animal importation for good reason. The laws are designed to keep diseases coming from foreign countries at bay. Not only do live animals need to be quarantined in Australia, but plants, plant material, animal products, and some kinds of food are scrutinized, as well.
A video showing Amber Heard and Johnny Depp was also recently uploaded to the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ YouTube channel. The actress started by saying that Australia is beautiful and that it has many unique plants, animals, and people. Johnny Depp chimed in saying that it has to be protected, and she continued to say that Australia is free of many pests and diseases that are common around the world, and that is why the country has to have such a strong bio-security law.
Johnny Depp continued to say in the video that “when you disrespect Australian law they will tell you firmly.” His wife then apologized publicly for not declaring their dogs Pistol and Boom during the April, 2015, visit to the country. She ended her statement by saying, “Protecting Australia is important.”
As per their defense team, the couple reportedly thought that the paperwork for their dogs was in order when they brought the animals into the country and that the actress voluntarily went back to have the case resolved and to apologize publicly.
Now that Heard has given her guilty plea, her husband will no longer have to give evidence to the court and testify on her behalf.
Amber Heard received a one-month good behavior bond without conviction despite falsifying her arrival card.
According to witnesses, after the penalty was delivered, the couple smiled and hugged each other tightly. Aside from the one-month good behavior bond, she will have to pay a $1,000 fine.
[Image via AP Images]
