9 Feb 2011

Lawyer walks out of Charles Taylor war crimes trial

8:08 am on 9 February 2011

The defence lawyer for former Liberian President Charles Taylor has stormed out of court at the end of his war crimes trial in The Hague.

Courtenay Griffiths was angered by the judge's refusal to accept the filing of a late document.

The final written brief was submitted 20 days after the deadline, the BBC reports.

Mr Taylor also left the courtroom but the judge says the trial will carry on in his absence.

The former President is accused of fuelling Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s by arming rebels.

He denies 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The trial started in June 2007 and a verdict is expected later this year.