“This Isn’t Something To Joke About”- Gary Lineker Under Fire After Johnny Depp Tweet

Following an intense six week trial, the jury in Fairfax, Virginia ruled on Wednesday evening that Depp had been defamed by his ex wife Heard in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote.

In the article, she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

The deliberation took place for approximately 12 hours and 45 minutes, and they concluded that Heard had defamed Depp in her article. 

They found ‘yes’ in answer to each question that was asked to them, finding that Heard’s statements about her marriage were “false” and conveyed “a defamatory implication” to people other than Depp. 

The jury also found that Heard acted with “actual malice."

Depp was awarded $10 million (£8m) in compensatory damages and $5 million (£4m) in punitive damages. 

After the verdict was announced, people took to social media platforms to share their thoughts, including Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who joked: “Depp wins and gets Heard immunity.” 

Safe to say Lineker’s ill timed joke did not go down well and many people started to react to the former England striker’s tweet.

Many accused him of making light of a case which had contained serious allegations of domestic abuse. 

One person replied to Lineker, saying: “However pleased you were with this, you should have kept it to yourself. Domestic abuse victims were just told by the courts that they cannot talk about their abuser - it isn't a matter for joking about.”

Another had a simple message for Lineker: “Delete your account.”

And a third wrote: “Jokes with domestic violence as the punchline are never the one.” 

Lineker did not respond to any of the replies he received and tweeted about the football matches that were taking place later in the evening. 

After the verdict, Depp released a statement, saying: “Six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”

Whilst Heard also released a statement of her own, expressing her disappointment in the outcome. 

She said: “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.”