Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has made his first appearance before the war crimes court in Sierra Leone.

Security was tight as the tribunal got under way in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

Mr Taylor is accused of backing rebels in Sierra Leone who carried out terrible atrocities during the country's civil war.

He denied all the charges and said he refused to recognise the court's jurisdiction.

Judges adjourned the hearing without setting a date for Mr Taylor to return to court.

Lawyers have been appointed to Mr Taylor by the court as he has yet to put together a defence team.

Members of Mr Taylor's family as well as the Liberian ambassador were in court to hear the proceedings.

The UN is considering moving the trial to the Hague amid fears his presence in Freetown could reignite conflict in the region.

Sierra Leone's decade-long war was particularly brutal, with 50,000 people killed and thousands more mutilated.