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Johnny Depp 'called security to take him away from Amber Heard' Johnny Depp was never violent to me, says ex-partner Winona Ryder
(about 1 hour later)
Johnny Depp's bodyguard has claimed it was "very common" for the actor to call his security team "to take him away from" his then wife Amber Heard. Johnny Depp's ex-partner Winona Ryder has said it is "impossible to believe" allegations from his former wife Amber Heard that he was violent.
Sean Bett alleged Ms Heard was verbally and physically abusive towards Mr Depp. "I truly and honestly only know him as a really good man," said Ms Ryder.
Mr Depp, 57, is suing the publisher of the Sun over an article that referred to him as a "wife beater" - but the newspaper maintains it was accurate.Mr Depp, 57, is suing the publisher of the Sun over an article that referred to him as a "wife beater" - but the newspaper maintains it was accurate.
He denies 14 domestic violence allegations which News Group Newspapers is relying on for its defence.He denies 14 domestic violence allegations which News Group Newspapers is relying on for its defence.
Meanwhile, actresses Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis - who are former partners of Mr Depp - will no longer be called to give evidence. Ms Ryder and Vanessa Paradis, also a former partner of Mr Depp, had been due to give evidence at London's High Court via video link.
They had been due to appear via video link this week. On Thursday the actor's barrister David Sherborne told the court Mr Depp's legal team had decided there is no need to hear from them, given that the defendant's case is that the actor was not violent to other partners but was to Ms Heard. But on Thursday the actor's barrister David Sherborne told the court Mr Depp's legal team had decided there was no need to hear from them. Their witness statements were released to the media, following a successful application by the PA news agency.
Mr Bett, who is Mr Depp's head of security, is a former deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and has worked for the Hollywood star for nine years. Ms Ryder, who was in a relationship with Mr Depp for four years, said: "I understand that it is very important that I speak from my own experience, as I obviously was not there during his marriage to Amber, but, from my experience, which was so wildly different, I was absolutely shocked, confused and upset when I heard the accusations against him.
"The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved.
"I cannot wrap my head around these accusations. He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen.
"I truly and honestly only know him as a really good man - an incredibly loving, extremely caring guy who was so very protective of me and the people that he loves, and I felt so very, very safe with him.
"I do not want to call anyone a liar but from my experience of Johnny, it is impossible to believe that such horrific allegations are true. I find it extremely upsetting, knowing him as I do."
'Humble and respectful'
In her witness statement, musician, actress and model Ms Paradis said she had known Mr Depp for more than 25 years - including 14 years when they were partners and raised their two children together.
"Through all these years I've known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father," she said.
"On movie sets the actors, directors and entire crews adore him because he is humble and respectful to everyone, as well as being one of the best actors we've seen."
Ms Paradis' statement said the allegations from Ms Heard were "nothing like the true Johnny I have known, and from my personal experience of many years, I can say he was never violent or abusive to me".
"I have seen that these outrageous statements have been really distressing, and also caused damage to his career because unfortunately people have gone on believing these false facts," she added.
Earlier, Mr Depp's bodyguard claimed it was a "very common occurrence" for the actor to call his security team "to take him away from Ms Heard, due to her behaviour" and "he would then stay somewhere else".
Sean Bett, who is Mr Depp's head of security, has worked for the Hollywood star for nine years.
In a written statement, Mr Bett said he saw the couple "very regularly" during their relationship, and "never saw any cuts, bruises or other injuries on Ms Heard".In a written statement, Mr Bett said he saw the couple "very regularly" during their relationship, and "never saw any cuts, bruises or other injuries on Ms Heard".
"On the contrary, throughout the course of Mr Depp and Ms Heard's relationship, Ms Heard was verbally and physically abusive towards Mr Depp," he claimed."On the contrary, throughout the course of Mr Depp and Ms Heard's relationship, Ms Heard was verbally and physically abusive towards Mr Depp," he claimed.
"On many occasions, I witnessed her shout at Mr Depp. I was also told by Mr Depp on multiple occasions that Ms Heard had physically abused him. He added: "I would describe it as a recurring cycle that Ms Heard would abuse Mr Depp, who would then remove himself from the situation."
"A very common occurrence throughout the relationship would be that Mr Depp would have me, and other members of his security team, take him away from Ms Heard, due to her behaviour. He would then stay somewhere else.
"This happened on so many occasions that it is not possible for me to remember them all in detail. However, I would describe it as a recurring cycle that Ms Heard would abuse Mr Depp, who would then remove himself from the situation."
Mr Bett gave his account of an incident in May 2016 when Mr Depp is alleged to have thrown a phone at Ms Heard and smashed objects at their LA penthouse, which he denies.
The actress previously claimed Mr Depp had come to the penthouse "drunk and high", became enraged and then threw the phone "like someone throwing a baseball", which hit her in the eye.
Mr Bett said he and another security guard entered the apartment and "saw Mr Depp standing approximately 20ft away from Ms Heard, who was standing by the couch".
"As soon as Ms Heard noticed that we had entered the room, she looked very surprised; her demeanour then changed and she pointed at Mr Depp and screamed to us words to the effect of, 'If he hits me one more time, I am calling the police'."
Mr Bett went on to say: "I have quite good eyesight. I was able to see that Ms Heard was wearing little or no make-up, her skin was quite pale and she had no red marks or evidence of any bruises or abrasions to her face or body.
"I could see Mr Depp was visibly upset at having been accused of hitting Ms Heard."
Sasha Wass QC, representing Sun publisher News Group Newspapers, asked Mr Bett if he was certain that he saw "no injuries to Ms Heard".
Mr Bett replied: "Correct."
Ms Wass suggested to Mr Bett that he was "lying" and that "she had visible reddening to her cheek".
He replied: "I'm not a liar, I'm telling the truth."
The case centres on an article published on the Sun's website in April 2018. It was headlined: "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?".The case centres on an article published on the Sun's website in April 2018. It was headlined: "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?".
The article related to allegations made by Ms Heard, who was married to the film star from 2015 to 2017. The hearing is expected to last for three weeks.The article related to allegations made by Ms Heard, who was married to the film star from 2015 to 2017. The hearing is expected to last for three weeks.