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Naomi Campbell. Image Credit: Rex Features

British supermodel Naomi Campbell has requested a later date for her testimony in the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, a spokesman for the Special Court for Sierra Leone said on Friday.

Prosecutors want Campbell to testify over a "blood diamond" they allege Taylor gave her. She was due to appear in court on July 29 and the spokesman said the new date "is not expected to be more than a few days later".

The prosecution has said Campbell could provide material evidence to rebut Taylor's claims that he never possessed rough diamonds. They accuse Taylor of taking diamonds to South Africa to buy weapons, which he denies.

In January, they said that during a visit to South Africa in 1997 Taylor gave Campbell a large rough cut diamond after a dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela.