Enoch Burke jailed for third time for refusing to stay away from Wilson's Hospital School – The Irish Times

Evangelical teacher Enoch Burke has been sentenced to prison for the third time for refusing to obey a court order to stay away from Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath.

Mr Burke was sent back to Mountjoy Prison by Judge Michael Quinn during the Supreme Court's holiday sitting on Monday for breaching the terms of a restraining order made by Judge Alexander Owens last year.

That order was never appealed and remains in effect, the judge said.

In his ruling, the judge said that “conclusive evidence has been presented to the court,” which was not disputed, that Mr Burke had breached the terms of the restraining order. The judge said that Mr Burke had visited the school several times since August 22.

In view of the teacher's continued disrespect, the judge ordered Mr Burke to be remanded to Mountjoy Prison and adjourned the case for reconsideration until October 11.

Mr Burke could clear his contempt at any time and seek release from prison before the case returns to court, the judge added.

The judge said he had considered evidence from deputy headteacher John Galligan and school board chairman John Rogers that Mr Burke's constant and visible presence at the school disrupted staff in carrying out their daily duties to pupils.

Mr Burke appeared in court on Monday evening after being arrested on the school's campus in the afternoon.

Mr Burke, who was accompanied by family members including his parents Martina and Sean Burke, said he had been sentenced to prison by the courts because he refused to accept “the infernal ideology of transgenderism”.

In his submissions to the court, Mr Burke accepted that the judge would send him back to prison.

He added that his rights as a Christian were denied by the school when it “ordered” him to address a male student as “she.”

To reinforce his Christian beliefs regarding gender, the teacher cited the Book of Genesis and the Gospel of Matthew. He said the case before the court was a “mockery of justice” and accused several parties, including members of the judiciary, of spreading lies about the content of the case.

He claimed that the truth about the case, namely that the litigation was solely about his opposition to being transsexual, was being “trampled on,” but added that “the truth will come out again.”

After the judge ordered Mr Burke to be sent back to prison, the teacher said he would have to “answer God.”

During the hearing, members of Mr Burke's family, who were also critical of Judge Quinn, asked the judge to read a report from the school's former headteacher, Ms Niamh McShane, dated August 2022, which they said showed what the case was about.

The judge noted that the report had been considered at another hearing in the case and reminded Mr Burke that his only decision was whether the teacher had disregarded Judge Owens' order.

Late last month, the school administration filed a motion to detain and confine the teacher due to Burke's alleged continued refusal to comply with Supreme Court orders requiring him to stay away from school.

The school said the teacher had been present at Wilson's Hospital every school day since August 22, which had been “disruptive” to staff and students.

Rosemary Mallon BL, representing the school board, told the court that the school board was concerned following recent breaches of the terms of the injunction prohibiting her from entering the facility without authorisation.

The lawyer said her client did not want to pursue further litigation with Mr Burke, but expected him to continue attending school unless he was sent to prison.

Although he had been imprisoned twice before and fined by the courts, the school said he had no intention of complying with the injunction, the lawyer said.

The school was particularly concerned about an alleged incident in which Mr Burke entered a room in the main school building where teachers were holding a staff meeting.

Another cause for concern, said the lawyer, is that other third parties, who are not journalists and who are considered to be supporters of Mr Burke, have also begun visiting the school.

The German and history teacher was released from Mountjoy Prison at the end of June, where he had spent over 400 days in two different shifts without atoning for his disrespect.

However, Judge Mark Sanfey warned him at the time that the courts would “not hesitate” to send Mr Burke back to prison if it turned out that he had violated the court order again.

The teacher is in an ongoing legal battle with Wilson's Hospital because he says in 2022 he refused to comply with the school's instruction to address a then-student by a different name and use the pronoun “she.”

During his first sentence, he spent over 100 days in Mountjoy Prison between September and December 2022.

After the Christmas holidays he returned to school and the High Court fined Mr Burke €700 a day.

However, because Mr. Burke was absent from school at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year and in consideration of Judge Owens' order, he was again sentenced to prison for contempt of the school building.