Johnny Depp’s wife Amber Heard snubs opening court appearance over smuggling dogs into Australia
JOHNNY Depp’s wife Amber Heard has snubbed her first court appearance after allegedly smuggling dogs Boo and Pistol into Australia.
Crime and Court
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JOHNNY Depp’s celebrity wife Amber Heard has snubbed her first court appearance on the Gold Coast after she allegedly smuggled her dogs Boo and Pistol into Australia on a private jet.
Heard, 29, is accused of dodging Australia’s quarantine laws in May by not declaring the arrival of her two pet terriers while Depp was filming Pirates of the Caribbean on the Gold Coast.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce gave the pair a 72 hour deadline to get the pooches out of the country or threatened to euthanise the dogs.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions issued Heard a summons to appear to answer to two counts of illegal importation and one count of producing a false document.
In the Southport Magistrates Court this morning Heard’s lawyers applied to have the matter adjourned two months in Heard’s absence because the charges were deemed “simple” offences.
Barrister Paula Morreau, instructed by international law firm Ashurst, asked for the adjournment in order to allow lawyers to make representations to the Crown.
“There is the power to adjourn the matter in her absence under S132 of the Justices Act and extend the summons to the next date,” she said.
Ms Morreau said the section allowed for the adjournment in the absence of witnesses or any other reasonable cause.
The Crown did not object to the adjournment.
Magistrate Kerry Magee raised some concerns about Heard’s lack of appearance.
“There’s certainly the power to adjourn, my concern is that generally speaking a person has to be on bail unless the offence is a simple one.”
Ms Morreau said the offences were deemed to be “simple” and the matter was adjourned until November 2.
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