High Court amends Enoch Burke arrest order and imposes new fines

High Court judge Brian Cregan on Thursday amended an order for the attachment and committal of former teacher Enoch Burke to Mountjoy Prison. The Irish Examiner, the Irish Times and theJournal.ie reported that the arrest order will now only apply if Burke appears at or within 100 metres of Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath. Judge Cregan altered the ruling after being informed that Burke had not attended the school since the original order was issued two weeks ago. [1][2][3][4]

The Irish Times and theJournal.ie reported that the court also fined Burke an additional 30,000 euros for contempt of court. This brings the total amount of court fines he owes for attending the school to approximately 238,000 euros. TheJournal.ie noted that Burke had trespassed at the school 15 times during the current school year. [2][3][4]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Judge Cregan had previously ordered Burke's arrest and committal to Mountjoy Prison earlier in the month following evidence of repeated trespassing. That decision marked the sixth time Burke had been ordered to prison for breaching a court injunction to stay away from the premises. [1][2][8]

Wilson's Hospital School is a Church of Ireland co-educational boarding school in County Westmeath. Burke was suspended and eventually dismissed from the school following a dispute. He is part of an evangelical Christian family from Castlebar, County Mayo, and has previously been imprisoned multiple times for defying injunctions barring him from school grounds. [5][6][7]

According to theJournal.ie, Judge Cregan ordered Burke to provide the High Court with a statement of his financial means within three weeks. The judge is currently considering further measures to recover the outstanding fines owed to the courts. [3]