Amber Heard court date set for ‘dog smuggling’ trial

Standing trial: Amber Heard will appear in the dock in April
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty
Jennifer Ruby15 December 2015
The Weekender

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A date has been set for actress Amber Heard to stand trial in Australia.

The A-lister will face dog smuggling charges on April 18 in Queensland after allegedly bringing her pets into the country without notifying the proper authorities.

Heard is charged with two counts of knowingly importing a prohibited product in a breach of the Quarantine Act.

According to AFP, a court official has ruled that the 29-year-old is required to appear in court.

In a statement released last month, Johnny Depp’s wife admitted that she was ‘looking forward’ to fighting the charges.

She said: “My decision to defend these charges, as will become apparent in the appropriate forum of the court, is not intended to in any way diminish the importance of Australia's laws.

“I look forward to attending the hearing of these matters … Whilst I am unable to comment on the specific matters before the court I would like to say that I respect the importance of Australia's laws.”

The actress allegedly brought dogs Boo and Pistol into the country via her private jet while visiting Depp on the set of the new Pirates of the Caribbean film last May.

Under Australian law, dogs entering the country from the US must be declared and then held in quarantine for 10 days.

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