Evidence: Naomi Campbell told a war crimes tribunal in The Hague that she had received diamonds at a dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in 1997
Campbell had tried to avoid testifying before the tribunal, claiming it would put her family in danger
Asked what she found, she said: 'I saw some dirty little pebbles.' She said she had assumed that they had come from Charles Taylor, the former leader of Liberia.
'This is a big inconvenience to me,' she said, referring to her presence at the tribunal.
'I don't want anything to do with. I care about the protection of my family.
'This is someone (Charles Taylor) that I read up on on the internet that's killed thousands of people allegedly and I don't want my family in danger in any way.
The supermodel also admitted that she had never even heard of Liberia at the time of the dinner. She denied giving Taylor her phone number - and said that she had had no contact with him since.
The only reason she believed that the diamonds were from Taylor, she said, was because it had been suggested by fellow guests including actress MIa Farrow at breakfast the next morning.
'The next morning at breakfast I told Ms Farrow and (her former agent Carol White) what had happened and one of the two said "That's obviously Charles Taylor", and I said "I guess that was".'
Campbell said she had handed the diamonds to a friend Jeremy Ratcliffe, who worked for the Nelson Mandela children's fund, with the intention that he would give them to charity.
The only reason she believed that the diamonds were from Taylor, she said, was because it had been suggested by fellow guests including actress MIa Farrow at breakfast the next morning.
'The next morning at breakfast I told Ms Farrow and (her former agent Carol White) what had happened and one of the two said "That's obviously Charles Taylor", and I said "I guess that was".'
Campbell said she had handed the diamonds to a friend Jeremy Ratcliffe, who worked for the Nelson Mandela children's fund, with the intention that he would give them to charity.
On trial: Former Liberian President Charles Taylor in court today as Campbell gives evidence However, he never handed them on and still has them in his possession.
Campbell arrived at the courthouse in The Hague fashionably late and surrounded by police escorts.
She wore a tight fitting beige suit and had her hair styled in a high beehive. Giving evidence, she appeared to have adopted an American lilt.
The model had tried to avoid testifying before the tribunal, telling one television journalist she did not receive anything from Taylor, now 63.
Notoriously short-tempered, she then lashed out at the camera and stormed out of the interview.
Later she told talk show host Oprah Winfrey she did not want to be involved in the case as it could put her family in danger
The dinner: A photograph taken on the night shows (left to right) Jemima Khan, Imran Khan, Campbell, Charles Taylor, Nelson Mandela, Gracha Machell, Quincy Jones, Mia Farrow and Tony Leung.
Campbell arrived at the courthouse in The Hague fashionably late and surrounded by police escorts.
She wore a tight fitting beige suit and had her hair styled in a high beehive. Giving evidence, she appeared to have adopted an American lilt.
The model had tried to avoid testifying before the tribunal, telling one television journalist she did not receive anything from Taylor, now 63.
Notoriously short-tempered, she then lashed out at the camera and stormed out of the interview.
Later she told talk show host Oprah Winfrey she did not want to be involved in the case as it could put her family in danger
The dinner: A photograph taken on the night shows (left to right) Jemima Khan, Imran Khan, Campbell, Charles Taylor, Nelson Mandela, Gracha Machell, Quincy Jones, Mia Farrow and Tony Leung.But despite her reticence, she was eventually forced to travel to The Hague after being issued with a subponea.
Taylor is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, rape and conscripting child soldiers.
He is also accused of arming and controlling Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, a rebel force responsible for widespread atrocities.
The army was notorious for hacking off hands and arms of civilians during the decade-long war in which more than a hundred thousand people were killed.
It is alleged that he traded blood diamonds - which are mined in war zones - for weapons during the conflict, a claim he denies.
Prosecutors say that Campbell holds vital evidence in the case.
Her testimony revolved around a celebrity dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 1997 which both Taylor and Campbell attended.
Mia Farrow was also at the event and it was her testimony to The Hague tribunal that dragged Campbell into the affair.
In a written statement, Farrow described breakfasting with her children and Campbell the next day. The model, she said, had told her an unforgettable story.
‘She told us she had been awakened in the night by knocking at her door,’ she said.
‘She opened the door to find two or three men - I do not recall how many - who presented her with a large diamond which they said was from Charles Taylor.’
Farrow’s account was backed up by Campbell’s former agent Carole White, who said she was present when the uncut diamonds were delivered.
If true, prosecutors say the story would back up claims that Taylor was carrying the stones to sell or exchange for weapons for use in the civil war in Sierra Leone.
Campbell’s appearance takes place amid tight security after she applied for special witness protection measures.
Judges have barred photographers from taking pictures of her while enters or leaves the courtroom, usually standard procedure for witnesses at The Hague.
They ruled that her fears for her safety and privacy were legitimate because of her high profile and the intense media interest in her appearance.
However, her testimony will be recorded as usual by courtroom cameras.
The court did not go as far as Campbell had wanted.
She had asked the judges for a gag order on all information ‘gleaned about her stay at the court’ apart from her public testimony.
Campbell will also be allowed to have a lawyer present during her testimony.
Farrow and White are due to give evidence on August 9.
Taylor was elected president of Liberia in 1997 but was forced to step down six years later and went into exile in Nigeria.
Taylor is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, rape and conscripting child soldiers.
He is also accused of arming and controlling Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, a rebel force responsible for widespread atrocities.
The army was notorious for hacking off hands and arms of civilians during the decade-long war in which more than a hundred thousand people were killed.
It is alleged that he traded blood diamonds - which are mined in war zones - for weapons during the conflict, a claim he denies.
Prosecutors say that Campbell holds vital evidence in the case.
Her testimony revolved around a celebrity dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 1997 which both Taylor and Campbell attended.
Mia Farrow was also at the event and it was her testimony to The Hague tribunal that dragged Campbell into the affair.
In a written statement, Farrow described breakfasting with her children and Campbell the next day. The model, she said, had told her an unforgettable story.
‘She told us she had been awakened in the night by knocking at her door,’ she said.
‘She opened the door to find two or three men - I do not recall how many - who presented her with a large diamond which they said was from Charles Taylor.’
Farrow’s account was backed up by Campbell’s former agent Carole White, who said she was present when the uncut diamonds were delivered.
If true, prosecutors say the story would back up claims that Taylor was carrying the stones to sell or exchange for weapons for use in the civil war in Sierra Leone.
Campbell’s appearance takes place amid tight security after she applied for special witness protection measures.
Judges have barred photographers from taking pictures of her while enters or leaves the courtroom, usually standard procedure for witnesses at The Hague.
They ruled that her fears for her safety and privacy were legitimate because of her high profile and the intense media interest in her appearance.
However, her testimony will be recorded as usual by courtroom cameras.
The court did not go as far as Campbell had wanted.
She had asked the judges for a gag order on all information ‘gleaned about her stay at the court’ apart from her public testimony.
Campbell will also be allowed to have a lawyer present during her testimony.
Farrow and White are due to give evidence on August 9.
Taylor was elected president of Liberia in 1997 but was forced to step down six years later and went into exile in Nigeria.
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