Amber Heard has escaped a conviction for illegally taking two pet dogs into Australia.
The 29-year-old actress, who is married to Johnny Depp, reached a deal with prosecutors in the state of Queensland by pleading guilty in court to making a false statement about the couple’s animals on border protection papers.
Two charges of illegal importation were dropped.
In what must rank as one of the more peculiar cases to have reached Australia’s courts recently, a judge gave Heard a one-month good behavior bond and said no conviction against her would be recorded.
To show their contrition, the couple recorded a bizarre video – played in court – in which they urged other travelers to obey Australia’s strict quarantine laws.
In the 20-second film Heard states: “I am truly sorry that Pistol and Boo were not declared. Protecting Australia is important.”
Wearing a reluctant expression, Depp says in the film that tourists must “declare everything when they enter Australia”.
Heard took Yorkshire Terriers Pistol and Boo into Australia last year while visiting Depp, who was filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie in the Gold Coast region.
Describing the incident as a “terrible mistake”, the actress blamed the couple’s personal assistants for not preparing the relevant paperwork to ensure that the dogs could enter the country.
“I never had any intent to conceal the fact that the dogs were in Australia at any time,” Heard said in an affidavit.
If she breaches the bond, she will be fined A$1,000 ($770).
