Johnny Depp’s bodyguard offered money to Gold Coast Bulletin reporter
JOHNNY Depp’s long-time bodyguard offered a Gold Coast Bulletin reporter money to reveal the identity of insiders who spilled the beans on Jack Sparrow’s marital woes while he was filming in the city.
Entertainment
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JOHNNY Depp’s long-time bodyguard offered a Gold Coast Bulletin reporter money in an unsuccessful attempt to find out the identity of insiders who spilled the beans on Jack Sparrow’s marital woes while he was filming in the city.
Jerry Judge, the managing director of London-based UK security and investigations company Music & Arts Security Ltd, has been shadowing and shepherding Depp for almost 15 years.
Insiders told the Bulletin of his crucial role as the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s right-hand man, describing him as part bodyguard, part friend, part father and part fixer.
Judge and Depp’s team had been trying to find out who told the Bulletin how the Hollywood A-lister had badly injured his right hand on the Gold Coast on the weekend of March 7-8 last year.
The Gold Coast Bulletin exclusively reported that Depp sustained the injury when he lashed out, threw his phone and smashed his hand into a mirror after a heated conversation with wife Amber Heard, who was filming in the UK.
The argument followed what insiders described as a “wild weekend bender” by Depp and friends at the Coomera mansion the actor was renting from former world motorcycling ace, Mick Doohan.
Pirates 5 crew had nicknamed Depp “Johnny Come Lately” because he was rocking up on set late — if at all.
Heard this week filed for divorce amid allegations of abuse by Depp.
Photos have since emerged of her with a bruised eye and cut lip, allegedly caused by Depp.
Shortly after the Bulletin revealed the incident at the Coomera mansion, Judge met me at one of the meet and greets Depp conducted for fans at Pirates 5’s shoot on location at Hastings Point, in northern NSW.
Flanked by the Pirates film franchise’s long-time unit publicist, Michael Singer, Judge grilled me about my stories in front of other members of the media as they waited for Depp to finish filming and “walk the line”.
Judge did not question the accuracy of the stories or point out errors in them.
Instead, he wanted to know where the information had come from.
“You look nothing like the photo we have of you. I was going to put it on a dartboard,” Judge said, laughing as he puffed out his chest.
“Where are you getting your information?”
“I can’t tell you that,” I replied.
Judge said he needed to know so he could do his job properly. Loose lips sink ships.
“It’s not one person,” I said.
“It’s heaps of people — contacts and relationships built up over decades.”
Judge: “How much are you paying them?”
Me: “Nothing. Do I look like I’ve got money to throw around?”
Judge: “How much do you want? What would it cost?”
Me: “For what?”
Judge: “To give them up.”
Me: “Not for all the gold in China. That’s why they trust me. That’s why they tell me stuff.”
The exchange continued before the former British nightclub bouncer saw my ring, which featured a jolly roger pirate flag.
Judge happily accepted one as a gift from me and smiled as he slid it on to his finger.
“Thanks for that and thanks for the write-up,” he said, referencing a profile on him published in the Gold Coast Bulletin, before he turned and made his way back to Depp’s trailer.
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