Campbell mistook diamonds for 'dirty-looking pebbles'

The 40-year-old said she was given the gift, thought to be diamonds, by two men in the middle of the night after a party hosted by Nelson Mandela in South Africa in September 1997.

But she claimed she was never told who the gift was from.

Her evidence is a blow for prosecutors are keen to link Taylor to so-called "blood diamonds" as part of their case against him.

Her failure to link the diamonds to Taylor contradicts the accounts of her former agent Carole White and of actress Mia Farrow and was last night described as a "spectacular own goal" for the prosecution.

The London-born model irritated the judge by arriving late. Campbell had tried to avoid going to court altogether and described her appearance as a "big inconvenience".

"I didn't really want to be here. I was made to be here. Obviously, I want to get this over with and get on with my life," she said.

"I really don't want anything to do with this and I care about the protection of my family.

"This is someone, I read up on the internet, that has killed thousands of people, supposedly, and I don't want my family in danger in any way."

Taylor faces 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including allegations that he is responsible for murder, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers.

Under questioning from prosecutor Brenda Hollis, Campbell told the court she was sleeping after the Mandela party when she heard a knock on the door.

Two men handed her a small pouch, saying "a gift for you", before leaving without further explanation.

She did not open the pouch until the next morning and even then was not sure what was inside. "They were kind of dirty-looking pebbles," Campbell said.

"I'm used to seeing diamonds shining in a box. I just took them. I get gifts given to me all the time at any hour of the night."

It was only when she took them down to breakfast, she said, that it was suggested the stones were diamonds, and they were most probably a gift from Taylor.