Johnny Depp has come to the defence of Roman Polanski as he faces extradition to the U.S. on child sex charges - insisting the embattled director is "not a predator".
The Oscar-winning filmmaker pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, but fled the States before his sentence could be passed.
He was arrested in Zurich last year (09) and placed under house arrest in Switzerland. Last month (22Jan10), a Los Angeles judge ruled he must return to the U.S. to face sentencing.
But Depp, who collaborated with the 76 year old on 1999 thriller The Ninth Gate, insists U.S. prosecutors should take Polanski's current home life into consideration and let the 32-year-old charges go.
Defending his former boss' character, Depp explains: "Roman is not a predator. He's 75 or 76 years old. He has got two beautiful kids, he has got a wife that he has been with for a long, long time. He is not out on the street."