Johnny Depp has won his multimillion-dollar US lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard.

Mr Depp sued the Aquaman star for 50 million dollars over a 2018 Washington Post article titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

The article does not mention Mr Depp by name, but his legal team said it falsely implied he physically and sexually abused Ms Heard while they were together.

After a six-week trial and 13 hours of deliberation, jurors returned a verdict in favour of Mr Depp on Wednesday.

Mr Depp was awarded compensatory damages of $10 million (£8 million) and a further $5 million (£4 million) in punitive damages.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor was married to Ms Heard from 2015 to 2017 after meeting on the set of 2011 film The Rum Diary.

He has deemed claims of abuse as “outrageous" and "outlandish” and said he had “spoken up for what I have been carrying on my back reluctantly for six years” during his own evidence.

The court previously heard that descriptions of Mr Depp’s drug use and violence were exaggerated by Ms Heard and her legal team.

Ms Heard was present for the verdict but Mr Depp was not, as a source confirmed to the PA news agency that he was in the UK.

The actress was seen to look downcast with her head bowed as the ruling was read out by the judge.

In a social media post on Instagram, Ms Heard said she felt “heartbroken” by the ruling.

She said: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,” she said in a statement.

“I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.

“It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.

“It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.

“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of freedom of speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK.

“I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American – to speak freely and openly.”

Large groups of fans lined up outside the courthouse and were heard giving huge cheers as the verdict was read. 

Mr Depp has said he “feels at peace” and is “truly humbled”.

In a statement delivered by a spokesperson, he said: “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.

“All in the blink of an eye.

“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.

“And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.

“My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.

“From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.

“I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media.

“I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth.

“The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun.

“Veritas numquam perit.

“Truth never perishes.”