Teacher Enoch Burke has defied a court order directing him to stay away from a school by returning there this morning.
At around 8.45am, Burke was driven into the grounds of Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath by his father Sean. Burke, wearing a long coat, got out of the Hyundai jeep's passenger side and walked into an entrance of the school.
His father then drove out of the school and has remained parked outside a field for the duration of the day. Burke appeared to still be in the school this afternoon.
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When approached for comment, his dad would not open his window and put up his hand to indicate he had nothing to say. It was the first day the school returned since Christmas.
Burke had been in Mountjoy prison since early September after breaching a High Court order directing him to stay away from the school. He was released just before Christmas however he was warned by Mr Justice Brian O'Moore that the only threat to Burke’s freedom would be if he again breached a High Court order.
Burke has now breached this order by going into the school this morning. The teacher had been suspended on full salary as part of a disciplinary process.
The row surrounds a request from a student in the school to be addressed by a new name and for "they/them" pronouns to be used. Burke continued to attend the school and the High Court granted injunctions against him.
Yesterday he sought an injunction preventing the school from holding a disciplinary meeting on allegations of misconduct against him. Burke appeared before a vacation sitting of the High Court where he secured permission from Ms Justice Siobhan Stack, on an ex-parte basis, to serve short notice of the injunction application on Wilson's Hospital.
He is employed as a German and History teacher at the school. The judge made the matter returnable to January 11, before Mr Justice Brian O'Moore.
Mr Burke had told the court he received a letter from the school on December 22 informing him that a disciplinary hearing will go ahead on January 19.
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