Courts / Ireland / Report
Enoch Burke should be released from prison, judge finds
Summary
The High Court ruled that Enoch Burke, a history and German teacher, should be released from Mountjoy Prison despite his refusal to purge contempt of court. Judge Brian O'Moore said that keeping Burke in prison would only serve his perceived advantage and that the public should not pay for his wages and incarceration indefinitely. The judge noted that Burke had spent three and a half months in prison over his opposition to transgenderism and that his continued jailing would facilitate whatever he feels he is achieving by being in prison. O'Moore directed that Burke's release be open‑ended and not limited to the Christmas period, and that he remain at liberty until a further court order. The decision was made after brief submissions from Burke and from lawyers for Wilson's Hospital School, who had sought his imprisonment as a coercive measure. The case will return to court in the New Year.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Enoch Burke should be released from prison, judge finds. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 5th Hearing Or Sentence
- Christmas Other
- New Year Other
- 2022-12-21 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Outcome: In his ruling this evening, Mr Justice O'Moore said that this was one of those rare cases where a coercive imprisonment should stop, for the moment, even though Mr Burke has not purged his contempt. He again said that he has been jailed over his religious objections to transgenderism following the school's request last May that he refer to a male student as a 'they'.
Places mentioned
- The High Court
- High Court
- Mountjoy Prison
- Wilson's Hospital
Topics
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