Cathal Ryan

Enoch Burke returned to Wilson's Hospital School in Westmeath as the new term began, despite court orders barring him from the premises and more than €208,000 in outstanding fines. The fines arose from repeated trespasses during a four-year dispute that began after Burke objected on religious grounds to using a student's requested name and they/them pronouns. He has spent more than 700 days in prison, had funds seized and his salary placed under receivership, and is challenging the rejection of his appeal against dismissal. Judge Brian Cregan expressed concern about the proportionality of the fines but declined to reduce them because Burke had not provided information about his assets.