Johnny Depp’s wife failed to attend a court hearing on Monday to answer charges of smuggling her pet dogs into Australia.
Hollywood actress Amber Heard, 29, could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison plus a hefty fine for transporting the couple’s two Yorkshire terriers into the country illegally, the BBC reports. Depp does not face any charges.
Although Heard, who starred alongside Billy Bob Thornton in Friday Night Lights, was due to appear before judges in Australia’s Gold Coast, her no-show was widely expected after she was seen attending the Venice Film Festival over the weekend. The case has been adjourned until Nov. 2.
The controversy began in April when Heard failed to declare her dogs, Boo and Pistol, on an incoming customs passenger card after their arrival in Australia via Depp’s private jet. The couple were in town for the filming of the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film.
When Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce heard that the dogs had been brought into the country illegally, he threatened to euthanize them if they were not removed within 50 hours. This prompted an indignant response from dog lovers everywhere, including a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #WarOnTerrier.
The Queensland Court subsequently issued a summons to Heard on two counts of illegal importation of an animal and one count of falsifying a document.
[BBC]
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