Mother who braved hell reveals the ugly side of a flawless beauty

NAOMI Campbell’s bravery and selflessness in testifying at the war crimes trial of Charles Taylor — for brave and selfless is clearly what she believes herself to be — may have been under-appreciated by the world at large but one woman would empathise with her.

Sarah Koroma also gave evidence to the trial despite the fact that she too lives a long way from the court in the Dutch city of The Hague, so her attendance could also have been said to be, in Campbell’s words, “a big inconvenience”.

She, like Campbell, has family whose safety is her chief concern, so testifying against a powerful and allegedly monstrous figure like Taylor was bound to be intimidating. And she, like Campbell, also had to endure questioning designed to test her memory, shake her confidence and ascertain any ulterior motives for her replies.