Naomi says she does not know who gave her 'blood diamonds'

But last night they came under fire from the defence team for scoring a "spectacular own-goal" in making the reluctant catwalk star appear on the witness stand after she failed to link Taylor to so-called "blood diamonds".

The legal team were hoping Ms Campbell's evidence would provide a link between Taylor, 62, and blood diamonds, which he is said to have received from Sierra Leone.

Taylor faces 11 charges of war crimes and is accused of arming and controlling a group of rebels who carried out vicious acts in the region. He is said have used diamonds to buy weapons and as such the linking of diamonds to him is crucial to the case.

All eyes were on the supermodel when she entered the courtroom in The Hague wearing a figure-hugging cream dress, cream cardigan and heels, as well as an "evil-eye" pendant used to warn off evil spirits.

The 40-year-old from Streatham, south London, admitted she had received "dirty-looking pebbles" from two men in the middle of the night after a party in September 1997 but said she was never told who the gift was from.

Her account contradicts those given by her former agent Carole White, and actress Mia Farrow.

Under questioning from prosecutor Brenda Hollis, Ms Campbell told the court she was sleeping after the party thrown by former South African president Nelson Mandela when she heard a knock on the door.

Two men handed her a small pouch, saying "a gift for you".

She did not open the pouch until the next morning and even then was not sure what was inside.

At breakfast, she told Ms White and Ms Farrow, who were also guests, about the incident. She said: "One of the two said 'Well, that's obviously Charles Taylor' and I said 'Yeah, I guess it was'."

She said one of the women also suggested the stones were "obviously diamonds" and at that point she decided to hand them over to "trusted friend" Jeremy Ratcliffe, who was then the head of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

The court heard the charity has no record of any such gift but Ms Campbell said she understood Mr Ratcliffe still had the stones.

The model insisted she had wanted them to be donated to charity but said: "He still has them so they didn't benefit."

Last night charity said it had been unable to locate its former head.

In documents submitted to the court, Ms White said she had even held the diamonds in her own hands.

But defence lawyer Courtenay Griffiths QC said Ms White, who has launched a legal action against Ms Campbell for breach of contract, was someone with "a powerful motive to lie" about her.

Ms Campbell denied the agent's account that she was "mildly

flirtatious" with Taylor during dinner.

She said she had never heard of Taylor or Liberia before the event adding: "When I am with Nelson Mandela – and I think everyone in the world feels the same way – my focus and attention is on him."

Ms Hollis queried the model's account. She asked: "Isn't it correct that your account today is not entirely truthful because of your fear of Charles Taylor?"

Ms Campbell replied: "No, that's not correct."

She then tried to disown Ms Campbell, who had tried to avoid giving evidence, saying for "all practical purposes" she was not a prosecution witness as she had been unco-operative.

Justice Julia Sebutinde asked: "If this witness is not a prosecution witness whose witness is she?"

Mr Griffiths said later the model had failed to link Taylor to the diamonds. "Our view is that the prosecution scored a spectacular own goal by calling Naomi Campbell," he said.

Party presence remains a mystery

The guests at Nelson Mandela's extraordinary party included a

supermodel, an actor, an actress and a cricketer.

It is not clear why Charles Taylor, was also invited.

But a photograph, which was shown to the court, makes it look as if he was enjoying himself.

Taylor is seen standing next to Mandela, wearing a military-style brown jacket.

His hand reaches out as if he, not Mandela, is the host.

On his other side, Naomi Campbell stands in a white gown, smiling, a cross around her neck.

The picture, taken during a 1997 party celebrating the launch of a luxury train, also features Jemima and Imran Khan, producer Quincy Jones, actress Mia Farrow and Chinese actor Tony Leung.

Miss Campbell's former agent, Carole White, said she understood Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, was annoyed Taylor was there, but the model said she was unaware of this.