Naomi Campbell. Inconvenience and Truth

At his trial in being held in The Hague, in front of a United-Nations backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, Charles Taylor faces 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over his alleged role in the brutal civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone, where he accused of selling diamonds and buying weapons for Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front rebels, responsible for widespread atrocities and who were notorious for hacking off the hands and legs of civilians during their decade-long war.

Word on the street is that he pretty much did it.

But how many people, in this country, were aware that the trial was taking place. Well, I would venture a guess that, until last week, very few.

But, thanks to the ‘cult of the celebrity’ it suddenly had news value. Naomi Campbell, I believe that she is some sort of anorexic clothes hanger, was subpoenaed to appear as a witness for the prosecution.

The prosecution must now be regretting getting the British supermodel Naomi Campbell, to testify that Taylor had gifted her ‘Blood Diamonds’.

The fact that they had to subpoena her, should have given them an insight into the sort of witness that she would be.

Anyone who has taken the slightest of passing interests in the twilight-zone existence of this self-centred prima donna would not have been surprised by the blasé attitude taken by the reality-challenged Campbell to the proceedings.

She couldn’t even be arsed to turn up on time. And when asked why she hadn't wanted to appear in court, she told the world:

"This is a big inconvenience for me.”

Well, “Fuck Me”!

As inconvenient as having your hands or legs chopped off?

But, I digress.

The media, who have shown scant interest in the trial up till now, swarmed to The Hague. And Campbell even got a judge to rule that the paparazzi would not be allowed to photograph her entering the court.

Font page of the papers. The lead on TV News.

A supermodel. A genocidal dictator. Blood diamonds. Courtroom drama with dodgy and conflicting testimony.

This was the stuff of . . . well . . .

Soap opera.

And sadly, that was is attraction.

The trial will continue. But not on the front pages or as the lead stories at six o’ clock. The truth is that mind-numbing media and the mind-numbed that it drip feeds this rubbish to, are no longer interested.

That is unless; the defence can come up with a dippy celebrity of their own.