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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
John Hand

Sacked teacher Enoch Burke rounds off academic year by standing in sunshine outside the Westmeath school he's barred from

Sacked teacher Enoch Burke spent the last day of term locked outside the secondary school he's barred from as the sun shone down.

The Evangelical Christian rounded off the academic year - which saw him suspended, jailed for a period, fired from his job and dragged from the High Court by gardai - by unlawfully returning to the grounds of Wilson's secondary school in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath.

Defiant Enoch, wearing a blue shirt, grey slacks and glasses, was seen today outside the building walking around and standing with his arms folded.

Having travelled from his native Castlebar in Mayo to arrive just before 9am, he left at the end of the school day at around 4pm.

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His latest attendance saw his contempt fines rise to nearly €89,000.

The High Court imposed a daily fine of €700 on him on January 27 for every time he breaches the order to stay away from the grounds of the school.

Burke has been at the centre of a row over his refusal to address a trans pupil as "they" - claiming it is against his Christian beliefs.

And today while out in the sun, he told how he's braved all elements to stand up for his beliefs.

Enoch Burke at Wison's Hospital School in January (Colin Keegan)

He said: "I'm here standing outside the school.

"I’ve been out here since January. I’ve been out here in freezing conditions.

"I’ve been out here in rain and sleet, and it’s because I have rights.

"No judge has the prerogative, or no principal, or anybody else, to take those rights away."

Burke was suspended on full pay last year over his refusal to address the trans student as "they".

He later breached a High Court order to stay away and was sent to jail for contempt of court in September.

After 108 days in Mountjoy prison, including Christmas, he was freed but turned upon the school's return in January.

Burke was sacked from his job later that month but continued to return to the school.

Enoch Burke has continued to breach a High Court order to stay away from Wilson's school (Colin Keegan)

Each day his father would drive him to the property, where Burke would wait outside until he was collected at the end of the day.

In March, Burke and five members of his family were forcibly removed from court as the anti-trans teacher lost his challenge against the order to stay away from his former school.

In May, a High Court judge ruled that he was lawfully suspended from his teaching role.

Mr Justice Alexander Owens also ruled that Wilson's Hospital secondary school is entitled to a permanent injunction prohibiting Burke from attending its premises.

The judge also announced damages of €15,000 for Mr Burke's continuing trespass at the school in addition to the daily €700 fine that had been imposed by the High Court on Mr Burke several months ago.

The judge found that the school's decision to suspend the teacher was "rational and reasonable" after he voiced his strong objections to a request by the school to refer to a student, who allegedly wished to transition, by a new name and pronoun.

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