World

Terrier saga ends with good behaviour bond

18:56 pm on 18 April 2016

Actress Amber Heard has been handed a one-month good behaviour bond, with no conviction recorded, for smuggling her two Yorkshire terriers into Australia last year while visiting her husband, Johnny Depp.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard arrive at the Southport Magistrates Court on the Gold Coast. Photo: AFP

The $1000 good behaviour bond comes after Heard pleaded guilty to falsifying quarantine documents.

Heard illegally brought Boo and Pistol to the Gold Coast on a private jet when she came to see Depp while he was filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie last year.

She was to face two charges of illegal importation of an animal and one count of producing a false document, however the two biosecurity charges were dropped this morning.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has released a video tendered to the court of Depp and Heard voicing support for Australian biosecurity.

Watch the video, as posted to Mr Joyce's Facebook page:

Heard arrived with Depp at the Southport Magistrates Court this morning in a black limousine.

When the couple arrived at court at 8.45am, a large media scrum of about 30 journalists and photographers was awaiting as were a number of supporters screaming "Go Johnny, we love you".

Inside court, Heard's lawyer Jeremy Kirk tendered a USB with the video of Heard expressing "remorse" and respect for Australia's quarantine laws.

Comparable cases were also tendered for Magistrate Bernadette Callaghan to consider.

Last year, the incident made headlines across the world when Mr Joyce said Pistol and Boo should "bugger off" back to the US or he might be forced to have them put down.

It came to light when the dogs were taken to a Gold Coast dog grooming salon and the visit was made public.

- ABC