As four judges robed in red and black filed in for the trial of the first African leader to face an international court, it was immediately clear that something was missing.

To the left of the raised bench, a prosecution team of seven lawyers and assistants were awaiting the opening of the case. But to the judges' right, there were just two lawyers and an empty front row seat.

Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia facing 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone civil war, was boycotting his trial.

Presiding Judge Julia Sebutinde, a British-trained Ugandan lawyer, turned to Karim Khan, the British barrister representing Mr Taylor, for an explanation. Over the next chaotic 50 minutes and in increasingly testy exchanges culminating in Mr Khan's walk-out from the courtroom, this historic trial took its first faltering steps.

There were moments of farce as the increasingly irritated judge battled not only with Mr Khan but with a malfunctioning translation system.

"Interpreter, you are not in charge of this court. We cannot have three people talking at the same time," she shouted at one point. "Mr Khan are you able to tell the court in a nutshell why your client is not in court?"

Mr Khan attempted to make a lengthy statement, including a letter from Mr Taylor setting out his recognition of the court but his refusal to take part because of the lack of resources given to his defence.

Mr Taylor had been refused a personal statement in a pre-trial ruling but, through Mr Khan, he found a way to make his characteristic rhetoric heard.

"Everyone deserves justice. The people of Liberia and Sierra Leone, who for too many years have undergone tragic sufferings, deserve justice. The people of Africa for whom the promise of independence was not upheld deserve justice, and I, too, deserve justice - at least a modicum of justice..."

Again and again, the bespectacled judge kept intervening to ask Mr Khan to drop the invective and give the reasons for Mr Taylor's no-show.

"I think you are crossing the line," the judge said, warning Mr Khan he was coming close to contempt of court. "We really are not interested in the political speeches. I just want to zero in on the reason why your client is not here this morning."

When Mr Khan went on to tell her that he could not continue because Mr Taylor had decided to represent himself, the judge directed him to stay. But just 20 seconds into the prosecution's opening statement, Mr Khan could be seen on his feet again, shuffling his papers into a folder. He stood, bowed curtly, and headed towards a door at the back of the courtroom.

"Your Honour, I do apologise," he said, as he disappeared.

Judge Sebutinde conferred with her fellow judges and appointed the last remaining figure on the defence side, Charles Jalloh, a duty counsel appointed by the court for just such an eventuality, to represent Mr Taylor.

It was a shaky start, but not an unprecedented one. At the first Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, Sam Hinga Norman a leader of the pro-government militia, dismissed his legal team, as did Augustine Gbao of the rebel RUF. Both trials continued with court appointed legal representatives, although Mr Norman died before a verdict was reached.

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