Johnny Depp accuses Amber Heard of severing finger tip

Image copyright AFP Image caption Johnny Depp told a court his ex-wife Amber Heard told "porkie pies" about him.

Johnny Depp has accused his ex-wife Amber Heard of misleading a psychiatrist about their relationship, as his libel claim against the Sun newspaper continued.

The actor told the High Court Ms Heard, 34, told "porkie pies" suggesting he was threatened by her career.

Mr Depp, 57, is suing over a Sun article that said he was a "wife beater".

The Sun is defending the accuracy of its story by arguing it is true.

The April 2018 piece by journalist Dan Wootton reported Mr Depp's casting in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise.

Mr Depp's lawyers have said the article made "defamatory allegations of the utmost seriousness", accusing him of committing serious assaults on Ms Heard and "inflicting such serious injuries that she feared for her life".

In the third day of proceedings at London's High Court on Thursday, Sasha Wass QC, representing Sun publisher News Group Newspapers, focussed on a detox trip Mr Depp and Ms Heard took to his private island in the Bahamas in August 2014.

The trip is one of 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence, all denied by Mr Depp, relied on by NGN in their defence against the actor's libel claim.

Mr Depp was asked during cross-examination if he "hit and pushed" Ms Heard, to which he said: "I didn't push Ms Heard or attack her in any way, as certainly I was not in any condition to do so."

He added that he "was in no physical condition to push anyone".

'Threatened by career'

The court heard medical notes suggesting Ms Heard believed Mr Depp was jealous of her professional work with another actor, James Franco.

Ms Wass told the court Ms Heard was treated for anxiety by Mr Depp's private doctor and was referred to another medic, Dr Connell Cowan.

She said Dr Cowan wrote in medical notes: "JD [Johnny Depp] is very threatened by career, particularly any kind of romantic scenes she has to do.

"Her movie with JF [James Franco] precipitated a binge that put JD in the hospital.

"Everyone around J [Johnny Depp] seems to be intimidated by his power and money. No-one stands up to him."

Asked if there was a reason why Ms Heard would have said this, unless it was true, Mr Depp said: "I believe it had a benefit to her motivation."

He later added: "I think she was telling porky pies with her psychiatrist."

Image copyright AFP Image caption Amber Heard has attended every day of the court case so far.

Earlier, Ms Wass read out medical notes by his own doctor, David Kipper, which said Mr Depp, "romanticises the entire drug culture and has no accountability for his behaviour".

The doctor also wrote that Mr Depp paid "lip service" to people like the actor's friend Sir Elton John "more for their celebrity than their struggle with sobriety".

In response, Mr Depp said he, Dr Kipper, Ms Heard and another nurse, who cared for him in the Bahamas had "all just met", adding "they were not versed in our lives, our life together, as yet".

Ms Wass also read out medical notes from two other occasions - including one which recorded that Mr Depp punched the wall during an argument with Ms Heard and was found "sitting in the kitchen with scraped and bloodied knuckles".

The barrister said: "It seems to be how you are expressing your anger yet again."

Mr Depp replied: "I would rather express my anger by hitting an inanimate object than... the person I love."

'Building a dossier'

On the first day of the libel case, the High Court heard Mr Depp denied being violent towards his ex-wife and accused Ms Heard of being violent towards him.

The second day heard Mr Depp denied he slapped Ms Heard after she laughed at one of his tattoos as he accused her of "building a dossier" against him.

NGN previously tried to have the case thrown out, but Mr Justice Nicol ruled last week the case could go ahead.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Ms Heard and Mr Depp were married in 2015 and separated two years later

The case arose out of the publication of an article on the Sun's website headlined: "Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?"

The Sun's original article related to allegations made by the actress, who was married to the Pirates of the Caribbean star from 2015 to 2017.

Witnesses including Mr Depp's former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder are expected to give evidence via video link, and the hearing is expected to last for three weeks.

Mr Depp, has been Oscar and Bafta-nominated and won a Golden Globe in 2008 for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.