Johnny Depp's bruised face is seen in photo shown to High Court

Johnny Depp’s security guard today revealed a photograph of the Hollywood actor with a black eye after his then-wife Amber Heard allegedly punched him, to support his sensational libel claim against a newspaper.

Depp, 57, is suing The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) and its executive editor at the High Court over an April 2018 article which alleged he was violent towards Heard, 34, during their tumultuous relationship.

Security guard Sean Bett, who has worked for Depp and his family for nine years, claimed in his witness statement released today that the injury was caused by Heard following her 30th birthday party in Los Angeles in April 2016.

But NGN’s barrister Sasha Wass QC told the court that the photograph was actually taken in March 2015 in the same city on a date when Heard had already admitted she attacked Depp in defence of her sister Whitney.

Heard has previously claimed she and Depp were having an argument when he approached Whitney on a landing between two staircases in their home in Los Angeles – and she feared he might push her, so hit him in the face.

It is another bombshell development in the extraordinary case in London, with the court also told today: 

• Depp’s bodyguard insisted he was not lying over claims that he saw Depp being regularly attacked by Heard;
• The security guard, Sean Bett, said he regularly saw Heard throw ‘bottles, glass and other objects’ at Depp;
• The actor’s former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder will now not appear to support his libel claim.

Today in court, Mr Bett also insisted that he was not lying over claims that he saw Depp being regularly attacked by Heard but never hit back. When accused of lying by Ms Wass, he said: ‘You can call me a liar a hundred times but I’m not lying, I’m telling the truth.’ 

Johnny Depp’s security guard Sean Bett today revealed a photograph of the actor with a black eye after his then-wife Amber Heard allegedly punched him. He said it was taken on April 2016, but the court…