“I swear by…” What? The options for members of a UK jury are fairly standard: ‘by Almighty God’, ‘by Allah’, ‘by Waheguru’, or ‘on the Gita’. Paul Powlesland chose none of these when he was called to jury service in July. Instead, the 38-year-old barrister opted for the River Roding, “from her source in Molehill Green” to her “confluence with the Thames”.
Powlesland admits that the judge was a “little perplexed” at first, but, after some discussion, he let the unorthodox oath slide. This was partly because Powlesland also declared the juror’s secular ‘affirmation’ (“to make sure the legal boxes were ticked”), but mostly because the judge believed the sincerity of the river lover’s position.
“I explained that I believe the river to be sacred, but also I could demonstrate that this wasn’t just something I was saying but that I do care for the river constantly in my spare time,” says Powlesland.
