Enoch Burke returns to Wilson's Hospital School on first day of new term

Enoch Burke was previously dismissed from his teaching role at the school for alleged gross misconduct, an allegation which he denies. File Picture: Collins Courts

Enoch Burke returned to Wilson's Hospital School in Westmeath on Monday on the first day of the school's new term.

Mr Burke was previously dismissed from his teaching role at the school for alleged gross misconduct, an allegation which he denies. In July, he was ordered to pay legal costs to the Wilson’s Hospital School in their successful High Court action against him.

Awarding the costs to the school, Mr Justice Alexander Owens made an order restraining Mr Burke from trespassing on the premises of the school, but said that the German and History teacher was not prevented from attending outside the school gates. 

In May, Mr Justice Owens ruled that the school, subsequent to suspending Mr Burke, was entitled to a permanent injunction prohibiting him from attending at its premises and damages of €15,000 for his continuing trespass at the school's campus.

In January of this year, Mr Burke was ordered to pay €700 per day for each day he refused to purge his contempt of court orders, specifically by staying away from Wilson's Hospital School. It is estimated that Mr Burke has accrued €140,000 in fines by continuing his contempt of court.

Mr Burke spent 108 days in prison for contempt of court before being released on December 21, 2022, despite not purging his contempt.

The teacher, who is an evangelical Christian, denies any wrongdoing and claims his suspension arises out of his opposition to a direction by the school to refer to a transitioning student by their chosen pronouns.

He is appealing the disciplinary hearing which resulted in his dismissal which the school claims was carried out because he had intimidated and harassed a colleague and had breached the confidence of a student in the school who wished to transition.