LAST UPDATE | 2 Sep 2024

ENOCH BURKE HAS been jailed for the third time over his refusal to comply with a court order and stay away and not trespass at Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath.

Burke was sent back to Mountjoy Prison by Mr Justice Michael Quinn, during today’s vacation sitting of High Court, for breaching the terms of an injunction granted by Mr Justice Alexander Owens last year.

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

In his ruling the judge said that “conclusive evidence had been put before the court”, which was not denied, that Burke had breached the terms of the injunction. The judge said that Burke had attended at the school on multiple occasions since 22 August.

In light of the teacher’s on-going contempt the judge ordered that Burke be committed to Mountjoy Prison, and adjourned the case for a review to 11 October.

Burke can purge his contempt and secure his release from prison at any time before the matter returned before the court, the judge added.

The judge said he was taking into account evidence from the school’s acting Principal John Galligan and Chairman of its board of Management Mr John Rogers that Burke’s ongoing and visible presence at the school was disrupting its staff in how they go about their day-to-day duties to its students.

Burke was brought to the court this evening following his arrest at the school’s campus that afternoon.

Burke, who was accompanied by members of his family including his parents Martina and Sean Burke, said that he was being jailed by the courts over his refusal to accept “the hellish ideology of transgenderism”.

The former teacher was arrested for showing up to the school today where he was previously employed. The Evangelical Christian has twice been jailed for breaching the same court order.

Last week, a court heard that it was becoming increasingly difficult to monitor Burke’s activity when he was at the campus and, on one occasion, Burke allegedly entered the school during a staff meeting.

The school claims that the former teacher has attended every school-day at its campus since 22 August last, which it claims is “disruptive” to staff and students.

As a result, the court granted the school an order that Burke be brought before the court by the gardaí to answer his alleged contempt. During his submissions this evening to the court Burke accepted that the judge would send him back to prison.

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

During the course of the hearing members of Mr Burke’s family, who were also critical of Mr Justice Quinn, called on the judge to read a August 2022 report from the school’s former Principal Ms Niamh McShane, which they claimed showed what the case was all about.

The judge noted that the report had been considered at other hearing of the case, and reminded Burke that the only business before him was if Mr Justice Owens’ order had been breached by the teacher.

The German and History teacher was released from Mountjoy Prison, where he has spent over 400 days in two different stints, in late June without purging his contempt.

However, he was warned at the time by Mr Justice Mark Sanfey that the courts would have “no hesitation” in sending Burke back to prison if he was again found to have breached the courts order.