How much Enoch Burke now owes the state since he still receives his full teaching salary

Teacher Enoch Burke was released from prison for Christmas and now owes the state a total of €193,000.

Mr Burke still receives his full teaching salary, with his dismissal from Wilson Hospital School in Co Westmeath under appeal.

High Court judge David Nolan said Mr Burke’s time in prison cost the taxpayer €84,000 a year and was a much-needed place for those who had committed crime.

His incarceration cost nearly double that, as Mr Burke spent more than 500 days in Mountjoy for failing to comply with a court order prohibiting unauthorized entry to the Wilson Hospital School.

Judge Nolan also noted that Mr Burke had not paid a cent in fines or court costs and now owed the state a total of €193,000.

The judge ordered representatives from the Attorney General and the Department of Finance to appear in court in January to discuss what mechanism could be used to ensure the fines were paid out of Mr. Burke’s salary.

Mr Burke was also warned he would face a fine of €1,400 a day if he tried to return to his old school next term to continue his “unsuccessful” and “misguided” campaign.

The judge doubled the €700 fine previously imposed by the High Court in an unsuccessful attempt to force Mr Burke to comply with the court order.

Mr. Burke has been on paid administrative leave since September 2022, when he was suspended due to his reaction to being asked to call a transitioning student by a new name and the pronoun “they.”

He said he could not support a policy of “transgenderism” because it went against his religious beliefs and his constitutional right to express those beliefs.

However, Mr Justice Nolan urged Mr Burke to reflect on his “unsuccessful campaign” and said it was “misguided” and “ridiculous” to suggest the court or school had attempted to abolish his religious beliefs.

He said Mr Burke chose to go to prison, despite being given plenty of opportunities to get out.

He said he was simply being asked to obey the law, like any other citizen, and not enter the property. He believed the teacher had “acted under the influence of others” and cited an intervention by Mr Burke’s mother, Martina Burke, during the court proceedings.

The judge said imprisonment for contempt of court should not be exploited by someone for their own purposes. “It is clear to me that he has been persuaded by others that it is better to consider him a martyr,” he said.

Judge Nolan had to speak directly into the microphone to be heard, as Mr Burke tried to speak over him throughout the ruling.

The response from Mr. Burke and his family was strongest when Judge Nolan suggested that his being in prison was a waste of Mr. Burke’s intelligence, education and teaching ability. Mr. Burke.

He compared it to the biblical parable of the talents, in which a slave wastes the talents God gave him and does not use them.

“Don’t quote Scripture to us,” Mr. Burke shouted.

After the judge stood up, having released her son for Christmas, Mrs. Burke said, “The public sees your wickedness when you let Mr. Burke out.” »

The hearing began with an examination of Mr. Burke’s continued detention, his third stay at Mountjoy since the fall of 2022, all linked to his refusal to stay away from school.

Alex White, a lawyer for the school board, told Judge Nolan that the school did not want to see Mr. Burke held in jail any longer than necessary.

The court has previously heard that Mr Burke’s presence in and around the school since his suspension had become a distraction and a source of stress for students and teachers.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Nolan reminded Mr Burke that in October he had asked him ten times, without response, whether he would obey the court order.

He also reiterated a previous warning that if anyone interrupted proceedings they would be removed from court by gardaí and would not be allowed back for future hearings into the case.

Mr. Burke said this was illegal and continued to repeat the assertion while the judge asked him at least seven times if he was prepared to serve his contempt and stay away from school.

Judge Nolan said: “The very simple point is that you are not following the law. All I want you to do is respect the court’s decision, and the court’s decision is that you cannot trespass on school property. That’s all it is.

As Mr. Burke insisted that the judge was “trying to make citizens fearful that they wouldn’t be able to show up in court,” Judge Nolan again asked, “Are you going to follow the court order?”

Referring to his father, Seán Burke – who was this week sentenced to two months in prison for assaulting a garda, after refusing to sign a 12-month good behavior bond which would have guaranteed his sentence suspended – Mr. Burke said: “You will not bully my family or crucify them… My father spoke the truth.

After repeatedly asking Mr Burke to be quiet, Judge Nolan then stood up, before returning to deliver his judgement. He began by observing that to date 41 High Court orders have been made in relation to Mr Burke, including costs orders. This does not include any order from the Court of Appeal.

“Taxpayers must pay Mr Burke’s salary at the same time as they pay for his upkeep at Mountjoy,” he said.

“This double pressure on the public finances, in the very particular circumstances of this case, is a factor in favor of Mr Burke’s release at this time, particularly during the Christmas period, when resources are scarce for care for people who should be incarcerated for the crimes they have been convicted of.

“This should not include the accused. He is in prison because he chooses to be in prison.