Enoch Burke's sister and mother appeal High Court's contempt ruling

High Court Reporter

Ammi and Martina Burke, the sister and mother of jailed schoolteacher Enoch Burke, are appealing a High Court decision finding them guilty of criminal contempt of court.

Both women served a two-week jail sentence this month after Judge Brian Cregan found them guilty of contempt over their behaviour at a court hearing in February.

The women engaged in “roaring and shouting” and “intense and venomous” interruptions during the hearing in a “paradigmatic” case of contempt, the judge held.

At the Court of Appeal on Friday, Ammi told Judge Senan Allen they were appealing Cregan’s order finding them guilty of criminal contempt.

They said their appeal was grounded in a number of matters, including an alleged lack of impartiality on the part of the judge.

Ammi also contended that they were matters of fair procedures at issue, noting that they were not provided with a digital audio recording of the February hearing.

The judge said he would reserve a date in July for the hearing of the appeal.

The February hearing related to Enoch’s challenge to the membership of a disciplinary panel convened to hear his appeal over his dismissal from Wilson’s Hospital School, Co Westmeath.

In May 2023, Judge Alexander Owens ruled that the Co Westmeath school validly had suspended Enoch from his teaching position, and subsequently ordered that Enoch be restrained from attending at the school premises.

The school suspended – and later dismissed – Enoch over his conduct towards the then-principal Niamh McShane at a school religious event in June 2022.

The confrontation arose in circumstances where McShane had earlier requested teachers to address a student by a new name, and with the pronouns “they” and “them”. Enoch, an evangelical Christian, has maintained that this request went against his religious beliefs.

Enoch has repeatedly breached the judge’s order to stay away from the school, and is currently incarcerated at Castlerea Prison over this contempt of court. He has spent more than 600 days in separate spells in jail.

Next week, the Court of Appeal will hear Enoch's application to bring a late appeal challenging Judge Owens’ order.