Johnny Depp’s wife Amber Heard is set to face court by April next year for charges of illegally smuggling her pets, Yorkshire terriers Pistol and Boo, in Australia via private jet a few months back.
Initially, the hearing was set for September this year, but for some undisclosed reason, it was adjourned.
The “Magic Mike XXL” star has been charged back in July with breaching Australia’s quarantine laws and is currently facing two counts of importing a prohibited product into the country.
The case sparked global attention after Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said that the dogs might be put down unless they are brought back to the United States immediately.
Joyce said that their country does not tolerate such actions regardless if they are made by movie stars or other prominent figures.
Speaking to Australian Medal, the Agriculture Minister added that he doesn’t care if Johnny Depp has been voted twice as ‘the sexiest man alive,’ he still had to adhere to Australia’s quarantine law.
The breach of Australian quarantine regulations appeared to have become apparent after a dog grooming salon in Australia posted photos of Pistol and Boo on its Facebook page.
The incident occurred in May with the two Yorkshire terriers being ordered into quarantine and its owners requested to fly their pets out of the country. The two dogs were then quickly flown out of Australia before a 72-hour deadline lapsed.
The Guardian reported that the Australian government treats cases of such as very serious and that Heard could receive a sentence of up to 10 years in prison or a maximum fine of AU$340,000 or almost $80,000 if worse comes to worst.
Under the Australian law, dogs entering from the US must be declared and have to spend 10 days in quarantine. This is designed to keep diseases, possibly coming from other countries, at bay.
Also, the pilot who flew Heard to Australia along with the dogs could face two years in prison for his role in the animal smuggling.
After the pet smuggling incident, Amber stated that she would never return to Australia ever again. However, she has since announced that she will be back to attend the hearings as she respects Australian law.
The “Pineapple Express” star have long stated that she pays importance to the law of the country and will attend all hearings.
“The Ward” actress is facing two charges of illegal importation of an animal and one count of producing a false document.
According to authorities, Amber failed to declare their dogs to the Australian Customs Service upon her arrival to Brisbane in May.
According to the Daily Mail, the 29-year-old actress will face a four-day trial on the Gold Coast less than five months from now and her husband could possibly appear as a witness.
Heard’s controversial trip to Queensland, Australia was to visit her husband who was, at that time, filming the latest instalment of the popular pirate movie franchise, officially titled “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.”
The film is slated to hit theaters by 2017 and is the follow-up to 2011’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” follows Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow as he is being pursued by an old enemy who escaped from the Devil’s Triangle, Captain Salazar, played by Javier Bardem.
Orlando Bloom also makes a comeback to the franchise as Will Turner/ Davy Jones. Bloom last appeared on the franchise’s third film “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” shown back in 2007.
The “Into the Woods” actor is also expected to make big screen appearances next year with his films “Yoga Hosers” and Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass,” which is the sequel to the 2010 film “Alice in Wonderland,” where he also appeared in as the Mad Hatter.