WILSON’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL in Co Westmeath has asked the High Court for orders that could see Evangelical Christian Enoch Burke jailed for the third time for contempt of court.

During today’s vacation sitting of the court, a judge heard that it was becoming increasingly difficult to monitor the former teacher’s activity when he was at the campus and, on one occasion, Burke allegedly entered the school during a staff meeting.

The school’s board of management, represented by Rosemary Mallon Bl, secured permission to bring a motion seeking the Co Mayo man’s attachment and possible committal to prison arising out of his alleged failure to comply with a permanent injunction to stay away from the school.

In what are prolonged and high profile legal proceedings, the school has made its latest application after the former teacher, who is currently appealing a decision to dismiss him from his job last year, started attending in the grounds of the school again in recent days while students and staff return as they prepare for the new school year.

Counsel said that since last Thursday 22 August, the school’s board has become most anxious after Burke started attending at the school, in breach of the terms of the injunction which prevents him from trespassing at the facility.

The school was particularly concerned over an alleged incident where it is claimed that Burke entered into a room in the school’s main building where teachers were holding a staff meeting in respect of the school’s Transition Year class.

The school is concerned as it is “difficult to monitor” Burke when he was on the campus, counsel said. Counsel said that another concern was that other third parties have also started attending outside the school in relation to the ongoing situation with Burke.

The matter came before Mr Justice Barry O’Donnell who on an ex parte basis granted the school permission to serve short notice of the attachment and committal proceedings on Burke.

The matter will return before the court on Friday.

The fired German and history teacher was released from Mountjoy Prison, where he has spent over 400 days in two different stints, in late June without purging his contempt.

He was warned at the time by Mr Justice Mark Sanfey that the courts would have “no hesitation” in sending Burke back to prison if he was again found to have breached the courts order.

Burke has been in an ongoing legal dispute with Wilson’s Hospital School over what he claims was his refusal in 2022 to comply with the school’s direction to call a then student by a different name and use the pronoun “they”.

The school’s board of management fired Burke after a number of disputes between himself and other staff members over the direction and he was ordered to stay away from the school as a result.

He was jailed, after he refused to comply with the court’s orders to stay away from Wilson’s Hospital School, for contempt of court.

Burke denies all claims of wrongdoing against him and says that his constitutional rights were breached by the school’s direction that he refers to a student by a different gender.

He was last jailed in early September 2023 over his refusal to comply with the permanent injunction, made the previous May by Mr Justice Alex Owens.

He did not appeal that order to the Court of Appeal but did make an application earlier this year to the High Court seeking to set aside the injunction on the grounds that it was flawed and unconstitutional.

That application was dismissed by the High Court.

During his first stint behind bars, he spent over 100 days in Mountjoy between September and December 2022.

Following his suspension from his teaching position in August 2022 Burke was sued by the school over his failure to comply with a previous court order which also required him to stay away from the school while he was suspended from his job.

He was released in December 2022 without purging his contempt.

He again started attending at the school after the Christmas holidays, and the High Court imposed a daily fine of €700 on Burke.

However, arising out of his failure to stay away from the school when the 2023-24 school year commenced and considering Mr Justice Owens’ order, Burke was again jailed for contempt.