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Depp, 57, is suing the publisher of Britain's
Sun newspaper for libel over an article which labelled him a
"wife beater" and says it was he who suffered domestic violence
at the hands of Heard during their volatile relationship.
The paper argues its story is true and the court has been told
Heard, 34, accuses her ex-husband of attacking her on at least
14 occasions between 2013 and 2016 when enraged after drinking
or taking drugs to excess.
Giving evidence to the court, Depp's bodyguard Sean Bett said
there were a number of times when Heard had left visible
injuries on his employer.
He said one of these had taken place on April 21, 2016, after a
party for Heard's birthday. The court has been told previously
that she alleges Depp had attacked her when she became upset
because he had turned up late to the party.
He denies this and says she assaulted him, throwing a "haymaker"
punch during the row.
Bett said he had driven Depp to another of his homes after the
argument and he had taken a photo of the actor's face after he
related that Heard had punched him.
PHOTO DISPUTE
However, the court heard there was a dispute over a photo
submitted as part of Bett's evidence and that the picture
included with his witness statement was in fact taken after
another incident on March 23, 2015.
The Sun's lawyer Sasha Wass told the court that that incident,
another of the occasions when Depp is accused of assaulting his
ex-wife, was one where Heard "admits she punched Mr Depp in
defence of her younger sister" and the only occasion when she
did so.
Bett said the photo he said he took the following year looked
very similar, but accepted he could not find the original.
The bodyguard was also asked about an incident in May 2016 when
Heard accuses Depp of hurling a mobile phone at her which struck
her face, leaving a bruise on her cheek.
Bett said when he arrived at the scene, he agreed that Heard had
shouted words to the effect of "if he hits me one more time I'm
going to call the cops".
But he said there was no visible injury to her face, saying he
had been looking at her constantly because "she was shouting at
the top of her lungs".
He denied he was lying for his boss, saying Heard would have
tantrums and become angry at Depp for no apparent reason and
that she behaved badly when she had been drinking.
Earlier the court was told by Depp's lawyer David Sherborne that
two former partners of Depp, Vanessa Paradis with whom he had
two children and actress Winona Ryder, would no longer give
evidence because their testimony he had never been violent
towards them was no longer needed as it was not challenged.
On Wednesday, the court heard from Heard's former assistant Kate
James who said Heard had "stolen" details of her own experience
of being violently sexually assaulted and the actress had used
it for her own benefit.
She also said Heard, for whom she worked from 2012 to 2015,
drank vast quantities of red wine during that time, saying she
would receive incoherent and abusive text messages from her
employer between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Depp has already given evidence over five days and Heard is
expected to appear in the witness box next week.
(Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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