Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president, boycotted the opening of his war crimes trial in The Hague today after sacking the British lawyer assigned to defend him.

In a dramatic start to the first international war crimes trial of a former African leader, Mr Taylor, in a statement relayed to the court, said that he had been prevented from seeing his preferred lawyer and his own court-appointed barrister was heavily outgunned by the prosecution team.

“It is with great regret that I must decline to attend any further proceedings in this case,” Mr Taylor said. “At one time I had confidence in this court’s ability to dispense justice. Over time, it has become clear that confidence has been misplaced.

“I will not receive a fair trial.”

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Mr Taylor, 59, is accused of crimes against humanity, including rape, murder and mutilation, by using his position as president of Liberia to fund, direct and equip the Revolutionary United Front. The RUF ate the hearts of its victims, amputated the limbs of thousands more and decorated its checkpoints with human entrails. He has already pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges.

Mr Taylor's statement was read to the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone by Karim Khan, a British barrister with long experience in international criminal cases. Mr Khan then walked out of the court, even though the presiding judge, Julia Sebutinde of Uganda, repeatedly directed him to continue to represent Taylor, if only for the opening day.

Apologising and defying threats of contempt of court, Mr Khan gathered his defence files and left the room, ignoring increasingly testy instructions from the judges to sit down. The court ordered the trial to continue, and the chief prosecutor, Stephen Rapp, began his opening statement.

That statement was due to last about four hours, after which the case is to adjourn for three weeks. In total, the trial - which was moved to The Hague for fear of unrest in Freetown - is expected to last 18 months, with 139 witnesses lined up for the prosecution.

In the meantime, Mr Taylor will be held in the same complex that housed Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslavian leader who died before his trial could reach a verdict.

With Mr Taylor’s defence not due to start until next year, court officials admit that the process may seem lengthy. But Herman von Hebel, the acting registrar, said: “We tried to find a middle way between the Milosevic trial, which dragged on for four years, and Saddam Hussein’s, which lasted only six or seven months and there was so much criticism towards the proceedings.”

Mr Taylor’s trial, which will cost an estimated $89 million (£45 million), is already facing a struggle to raise funds from international donors with only $3 million believed to be in the bank. The UN-backed process will also cover the estimated $2 million cost of Mr Taylor’s defence because nobody has been able to track down the personal fortune he is assumed to have salted away during six bloodstained years in power.

Mr von Hebel added: “There are rumours about the whereabouts of his funds but no one knows where they are. In order to ensure his rights as the accused, presumed innocent until found guilty, we have to pay for the defence of Charles Taylor.”

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