Amber Heard‘s friend iO Tillet Wright has claimed Johnny Depp boasted he could now “punch” the actress “in the face and no one could stop him” in a joke on their wedding day.
Depp, 57, is suing News Group Newspapers for libel over a story published in The Sun in 2018 which branded him a “wife beater” – a claim which he strenuously denies.
The case continued at London’s Hight Court today and Heard’s longtime friend iO Tillet Wright testified via video link.
In his witness statement, he claimed Depp made a chilling joke about hitting his bride on the day they tied the knot back in 2015.
Tillet Wright, who was Heard’s best man at the ceremony, stated: “I attended Amber and Johnny’s wedding in the Bahamas in February 2015 as Amber’s best man.
“The first thing Johnny said to me after the ceremony, as we walked to the reception, was ‘Now I can punch her in the face and no one can do anything about it’.
“He probably intended it as a joke, but it is only a joke if it’s not real – and by then I knew he was hitting her.”
The libel battle reached its 14th day with Amber Heard’s acting coach Kristina Sexton, her sister Whitney Henriquez and her friend Raquel ‘Rocky’ Pennington all testifying today.
In her witness statement, Sexton claimed Depp had begged Heard to have a baby with him but she refused.
Henriquez was questioned about a video which appeared to show her being asked about marks on her body following a row with Heard.
In the video, Henriquez – who previously denied her sister had ever been violent towards her – called the argument an “altercation”.
During court questioning, she denied it was a “physical fight” and the chat was just part of a “bad reality TV show”.
Depp has denied he was ever violent towards his ex-wife and has accused her of abusing him during their marriage.
Lawyers for NGN are defending their case based on Heard’s 14 allegations of abuse, which include claims of bust-ups between 2013 and 2016.
The actor has argued his ex-wife was abusive towards him during the marriage, which collapsed in 2016.