Taking The Oath

I appeared in court today in Barcelona as a witness to a robbery with forced entry in our little street on December 22 last year. I took my oath to tell the truth and also acknowledged the penalties for perjury before being led in evidence by the procurator fiscal and then briefly cross examined by the two lawyers for the defendants.

The courtroom was modern, one of many, in the Justice City of Barcelona. The judge sat on a slightly raised platform in front of me and the prosecutor and defence lawyers were also slightly raised up, forming a U with the judge. I stood before a microphone on a slim stand without any table in front of it. For a minute it felt as if it was an audition and I should burst into song - Jailhouse Rock perhaps! It’s nearly 40 years since I last appeared in court as a witness in a robbery with force in Kirkwall, Orkney. I represented clients in court many times as their lawyer up until 1991 when we drove south to Barcelona and new climes!