Courts / Ireland / Report
Enoch Burke tells court he's not interested in 'Christmas gift' of temporary prison release
Summary
In a High Court hearing on 16 December 2022, jailed teacher Enoch Burke declined an offer of temporary release from Mountjoy Prison for the Christmas holidays. He described the proposal as a "Christmas gift" and an "insult to justice", arguing that it was an attempt by the court to offer mercy while he remained in contempt of a court order. Burke had been imprisoned for three and a half months for refusing to comply with a direction from Wilson's Hospital School to address a trans‑gender student as "they" rather than "he", citing religious grounds. He refused to purge his contempt or agree to the injunction's conditions, which would have freed him. The judge, Justice Conor Dignam, declined to release him and said the court would consider submissions on a possible release next week, a matter that had not been contemplated earlier. The school had no objection to the court's suggestion.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Enoch Burke tells court he's not interested in 'Christmas gift' of temporary prison release. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- Christmas Other
- 2022-12-16 Publication
Why: He also asked if there was some sort of ulterior motive for his. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Outcome: Photo: Collins) Jailed teacher Enoch Burke has told the High Court that he is not interested in what he called a "Christmas gift" of any temporary release from Mountjoy Prison for the festive period. However, Mr Burke told the judge that he did not want "a Christmas gift" from the court and repeated his claim that the orders against him that have resulted in his imprisonment are "manifestly unlawful".
Places mentioned
- High Court
- Mountjoy Prison
- Wilson's Hospital
Topics
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