Charles Taylor war crimes trial: as it happens

Namoi Campbell's former agent, Carole White, is due to begin giving evidence sometime soon after 0800 BST and is expected to challenge the supermodel's account about how she received "blood diamonds" from the ex-dictator.

Next to take the stand at the special court for Sierra Leone will be Mia Farrow, the actress. Farrow and White were at a charity dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in 1997, after which Campbell was given a pouch of "dirty looking pebbles".


On Thursday Campbell testified that she was never told who the gift was from, contradicting accounts from White and Farrow in documents already submitted to the court.

Proceedings are relayed to the public with a 30 minute delay.

0835 Monday's court session gets under way

0840 Confusion over whether Farrow or White will appear first. Defence counsel kicking up a fuss after being told that Farrow would take stand before White, despite having prepared to question Namoi Campbell's former agent first. Lawyer Courtenay Griffiths claims confusion is "out of order".

0845 Prosecution apologises for "inverting" list but claims it was due to "miscommunication". Farrow will give evidence first after judges overrule complaint.

0850 Farrow takes oath to tell truth on bible

0850 Hollywood actress explains that she was at Nelson Mandela's charity dinner in support of his children's charities through the former South African president's "Blue Train" scheme.

0855 Farrow says she met Charles Taylor for first time at the dinner but was told that he was not supposed to be there

0900 Farrow says she remembers Naomi Campbell recounting receiving a "huge diamond" during the night from Charles Taylor. Farrow said the supermodel planned to give the diamond to one of Mandela's charities.

"She said in the night she had been awakened by men knocking at her door that said they had been sent to her by Charles Taylor, and they had given her a very huge diamond," Farrow told the court.

The evidence contradicts Campbell's claim that, at the time, she did not know that the diamonds were from the former Liberian dictator.

0905 Farrow says her three children, who met Campbell on the Blue Train trip, "adored" the supermodel

0905 Farrow is shown video clip of Campbell interview in which she denies receiving diamonds from Charles Taylor. The Hollywood actress says Campbell's statement was not consistent with what the supermodel told her at breakfast.

0910 Court is shown transcript of Campbell's appearance at tribunal on 5 August. Farrow again claims Campbell's evidence is inconsistent. She denies seeing the diamonds despite Campbell's claim she had shown the actress and White what the men had delivered her.

0915 Farrow says an "excited" Campbell claimed at breakfast that men from Charles Taylor had given her a diamond. The actress says it was Campbell, and not her or White, who made the suggestion that the diamonds came from the former Liberian dictator.

"What I remember is Naomi Campbell joined us at the table but before she even sat down she recounted an event of that evening, Farrow told the court.

"And she said that in the night she had been awakened, some men were knocking at the door. They had been sent by Charles Taylor and they were giving a huge diamond."

"And she said that she intended to give the diamond to Nelson Mandela's children's charity."

Asked who said the gift came from Taylor, Farrow said: "Naomi Campbell."

Farrow was asked again if she was the one at the breakfast table who said the gift came from Taylor.

She said: "Absolutely not."

She was asked who did make the suggestion.

She said: "Naomi Campbell said they came from Charles Taylor."

Farrow says her children remembered the same thing. "The moment was unforgettable," the actress says.

0915 Farrow claims she didn't know anything about Charles Taylor in 1997. She also claims that she doesn't know Carole White and has no relationship with her.

0920 Farrow says Campbell said "of course I don't intend on keeping diamond".

0925 Prosecutors questioning of Farrow ends. Cross examining begins. The prosecution claims Taylor traded guns to rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone in exchange for uncut diamonds — known as "blood diamonds" for their role in financing conflicts — during the country's 1992-2002 civil war, which left more than 100,000 dead.

If Farrow's account is true, it would dent Taylor's denials of any involvement with the trade in illicit diamonds.

0925 Farrow says she "stands by everything she has said" and denies exaggerating.

0925 Actress says she doesn't know identities or nationalities of men who delivered diamond to Campbell in the middle of the night. She also says she knows nothing about the origin of the diamond or why it was given to Campbell.

0935 Defence queries why Farrow talks of "one huge diamond" when Campbell and White talk of "several little diamonds". Farrow says she did not see diamonds and is repeating what Campbell told her.

0936 Farrow admits "Maths is not her forte" after being told by the judge that if her son was born in 1970 then he was 27 when he attended Mandela's dinner in 1997, not 17.

0950 Defence labouring the point about whether diamond was singular and large or whether they were plural and small. Lawyer ticked off by judge.

0950 Farrow says she doesn't remember Charles Taylor being at the dinner. She says it was a big gathering with perhaps three tables. Campbell said there was only one.

0954 Actress says she didn't see any "flirtation or communication" between Campbell and Taylor.

1005 Farrow says her and Campbell have drifted apart since the dinner in South Africa and have had little contact since.