Dismissed schoolteacher Enoch Burke still owes over €208,000 in outstanding fines for breaching court orders to stay away from Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath. The High Court in Dublin was informed that his total accrued fines initially reached €273,200, though approximately €65,000 has been recovered so far, partly by redirecting his salary from the Department of Education.
The long-running dispute began in May 2022 when Burke, an evangelical Christian, refused a directive from his principal to use a student's preferred "they" pronouns, arguing it violated his religious freedom and constitutional rights. Despite being suspended and subsequently dismissed, Burke repeatedly trespassed on school property, claiming it remained his legal place of work. His continuous breach of the restraining orders has resulted in him spending more than 700 days in prison.
During the latest video-link hearing, the school's legal representation requested that the matter be adjourned generally, with the option to reopen it if circumstances change. When Burke attempted to address the court regarding the initial pronoun directive and subsequent remarks about his family, his live audio feed was muted multiple times by the court as he continued to speak animatedly. Mr. Justice Cregan remarked that Burke had severely damaged his professional reputation and wasted 700 days of his life due to a "senseless and misguided campaign," reinforcing that the rule of law applies to everyone. Legal matters concerning other members of the Burke family have been adjourned until next week.