Enoch Burke says he doesn’t believe he should pay the €700 daily fine he’s been issued for failing to purge his contempt of a court order.
The dismissed teacher has continuously showed up at Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath this week, despite being dismissed a week ago.
His failure to leave and purge his contempt before this time, means Mr. Burke will now be subjected to the significant fine.
The decision was made yesterday by Mr. Justice Brian O’Moore who said it had to be done because it was clear he doesn’t accept the validity of the order to stay away from Wilson’s Hospital School.
For every day Mr. Burke ignore the court’s orders he’ll be subjected to a fine, which could cost him €5,000 a week.
Today, his father drove him to Wilson’s Hospital School at around quarter-to-9. This case will be reviewed at a hearing on the 10th of February.
Speaking to reporters before he left the school today, Mr Burke said he shouldn’t have to pay: ”Just in relation to the fine and I want to stay on this point because I would just say, I don’t believe I should pay a fine to practise my religious belief. I don’t believe I should pay a fine. I’m putting it in the nicest way. A fine is a punishment in which somebody is ordered to pay a sum of money for somehting they’ve done that’s illegal or a rule that they’ve broken.”
