Johnny Depp has told the High Court he thinks a “defecation incident”, in which faeces were found in his and ex-wife Amber Heard’s bed, was a “fitting end” to their relationship.

The actor is facing a fourth day of questioning during his high-profile libel case against The Sun and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article published in April 2018, in which they called him a “wife beater” and referred to “overwhelming evidence” that he attacked Heard during their relationship. He strongly denies the allegations.

The Sun’s publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) relies on 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence towards Heard, which Depp denies, in their defence against the actor’s libel claim. 

On Friday, Depp was questioned about Heard’s 30th birthday party at the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles in April 2016, and the “defecation incident”.

Depp told the court he had been “convinced” it was either his ex-wife herself, or one of her friends who was involved in the episode.

Sasha Wass, lead counsel for NGN suggested Boo, one of the couple’s two Yorkshire terriers, “had problems with her toilet habits”, to which the actor said the dogs “were very well trained”, but that “Boo was not as trained as Pistol”, their other dog.

Wass said to Depp that “it came to your attention the following, that was the day of Amber’s actual birthday, that the cleaner had found faeces in the bed”.

She suggested Depp was later sent photographs of the faeces, which the actor found “hilarious” and that “there were jokes like ‘Amber Turd’, ‘Amber in the dumps’ going on.”

Depp replied: “It was one of the most absurd, unexpected statements that I have ever witnessed in my life so, yes, initially I did laugh because it was so strange.”

He told the court it was “a mystery” who defecated in the bed “and it was not left by a three or four-pound dog”.

Depp said he thought the incident was“a fitting end to the relationship”.

He added: “I was convinced that it was either Ms Heard herself or one of her cohort involved in leaving human faeces on the bed.”

Earlier, Wass told the court Depp had arrived late for Heard’s party after being given some “rather unfortunate news” about his financial affairs at a meeting.

The actor said he went to bed and was reading “trying to avoid any confrontation with Ms Heard”.

He said: “I thought her behaviour regarding the subject of my tardiness to her birthday dinner, I though that it was too much… her anger, her rage… when I had been texting Ms Heard, telling her: ‘I am so sorry, I’m going to be late’.”

Wass went on to suggest Depp had become angry after Heard raised the issue of him being late to the party, and he got out of bed to argue with her, which the actor denied.

The barrister said Depp was “very distressed about the news you had received and the last thing you wanted to be told was that you were a disappointment to your wife”.

Depp replied: “I believe that’s the last thing any husband would want to hear.”

Wass went on to accuse Depp of picking up a magnum bottle of champagne and throwing it at Heard, which missed, with the glass smashing, which he denied.

She also alleged he grabbed Heard by her hair and pushed her onto the bed adding “when she tried to leave, you blocked the bedroom door and you tried to grab her hair”.

The barrister suggested Depp then “pushed her to the ground” and “bumped her chest” before leaving the apartment.

Depp denied that he had grabbed or pushed Heard and said he had texted his security team, who were outside the penthouse, and said “gotta go, got to get out of here”.

Wass asked if Depp left Heard a note which read “happy f****** birthday”.

Depp replied: “I don’t know that I did, but it is very, very possible.

The court briefing went into private on Friday to consider evidence relating to Heard’s allegations of sexual violence.

The exact nature of the allegations was not disclosed to the press or public and remains unknown.

Depp’s case against NGN and Wootton arises out of the publication of an article on The Sun’s website on April 27 2018 with the headline “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”.

NGN is defending the article as true and says Depp was “controlling and verbally and physically abusive towards Ms Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs” between early 2013 and May 2016, when the couple split.

The pair met in 2011 and began living together in 2012 before marrying in Los Angeles in February 2015.