British actor Jude Law denied Thursday having deliberately hit a female photographer taking his picture as he left a London restaurant, his lawyer said.

Law, currently starring as Hamlet in the West End was accused by the 28-year-old woman of striking her in the early hours of Thursday.

"He hit me full in the face. It was a real stinger, it was very sore," the woman, Harsha Gopal, said in comments quoted by British media, which also published photographs of the alleged incident.

But representatives for Law — whose films include 'The Talented Mr Ripley' — denied that he had deliberately struck her and said the incident was an accident.

His lawyer Graham Shear said: "This is all nonsense. Last night's incident was an accident. Jude was blinded by the camera flashes when he left the restaurant, raised his hand to shield himself and inadvertently struck somebody standing very close.

"He apologised and left. Pictures of this sort can often be misleading."

Police could not immediately say whether they had received a formal complaint against Law.

He was arrested in 2007 over an alleged assault on a photographer near his home but no further action was taken by prosecutors.

The acclaimed 'Hamlet' production in which Law is starring is due to transfer to Broadway in New York later this year.

AFP