Johnny Depp's private estate manager due to take stand in libel trial against The Sun

The estate manager at Johnny Depp’s Bahamas island paradise is due to give evidence today at the star’s High Court libel trial.

Tara Roberts is due to give evidence via videolink from the Bahamas, and will face questions about a 2014 detox session on the island when Amber Heard says she was attacked by Depp.

The Sweeney Todd star flew to his private 45-acre island, Little Hall Pond's Cay, with Heard to try to kick his addiction to prescription drugs.

Depp had a doctor and nurse on standby on the other side of the island while Heard took care of him and was in charge of his medication.

In texts to the nurse, Heard claimed Depp was “flipping” one evening due to his drugs withdrawal and she claimed he had pushed her and grabbed hold of her hair.

Depp, however, denies any violence and suggested Heard’s behaviour on the island during the trip – withholding his medication – was “one of the cruellest things that she has ever done”.

Also on the witness schedule for today is Malcolm Connolly, a member of Depp’s security team, who will give evidence about an alleged incident in Australia in 2015.

Depp, who was filming Pirates of the Caribbean 5 at the time, is accused of repeatedly attacking Heard over a three-day period, culminating in severing his own fingertip in a drink and drugs haze.

However the star insists Heard was to blame for the gruesome injury and called her claims of violence “patently untrue”.

The third witness due to be heard is Samantha McMillan, who Depp says was Heard’s former stylist.

Yesterday, Depp’s long-time personal assistant Stephen Deuters told the High Court he has never seen the actor being violent to anyone he knows.

He said he was “outraged” when Heard’s claims of abuse were first aired in divorce proceedings in May 2016, arguing it was her who had subjected Depp to “years of abuse”.

“Mr Depp told me on multiple occasions that Ms Heard had attacked him or abused him physically and verbally”, he said.

“I along with many others was extremely surprised and outraged when this hit the press. I knew that Ms Heard was the abuser in the relationship and I was appalled that she would behave in this way.”

Mr Deuters said he had sometimes helped to supply drugs to Depp and told the court the star has a surprisingly high tolerance for alcohol.

Heard claims she was kicked in the back by Depp on a private jet in 2014, but Mr Deuters said he witnessed the incident and only saw Depp try to give his partner a “playful” tap with his foot.

The personal assistant said Heard was haranguing Depp, leading to him seeking refuge in the plane’s toilet.

The trial continues.

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