Irish teacher Enoch Burke must pay €208,268 in fines after more than 700 days in prison for contempt, in a legal dispute that originated from his refusal to use female pronouns when referring to a male student, on the grounds that doing so would violate his Christian beliefs.
The amount was set by the Irish High Court in a ruling published on 15 July. Although the fines were not imposed directly for his religious opinions, but for repeatedly breaching orders that prohibited him from attending Wilson’s Hospital School, the case arose after Burke refused to accept the school’s demands regarding gender identity.
The teacher has maintained from the outset that he cannot be compelled to use language contrary to his faith and his understanding of biological sex. The dispute first led to his suspension, then to his dismissal, and finally to a series of court orders, fines and periods of imprisonment.
Fines of up to €1,400 per school day
Judge Brian Cregan set the start of the penalty calculation on 26 January 2023, when the High Court imposed a daily fine of €700 on Burke for continuing to appear at the school despite the order requiring him to stay away.
The sanction was doubled in December 2024 and rose to €1,400 per day.
Wilson’s Hospital School had initially calculated that the teacher owed more than €452,000, a figure that also included weekends and public holidays. The judge rejected that calculation and decided to limit the fines to the school days on which Burke attended the centre.
The debt was set at €273,200. After deducting approximately €65,000 already collected through salary withholdings, payments managed by the courts and the administrator’s fees, the outstanding amount was established at €208,268.18.
Judge acknowledges doubts about proportionality
Cregan recognised that the amount of the sanctions raised questions of proportionality in relation to Burke’s income as a teacher.
The judge noted, however, that he could not consider a possible reduction because the teacher had refused to provide detailed information about his assets, debts and financial situation.
Burke may challenge the proportionality of the fines if he submits to the court a complete declaration of his assets and financial obligations.
The judge also recalled that the teacher did not appeal to the Court of Appeal any of the orders that established or increased the sanctions.
More than 700 days deprived of liberty
Burke has spent more than 700 days in prison for contempt of court orders. He has not been convicted of violence, assault or any other offence against persons, but for continuing to appear at the school despite the prohibitions issued by the courts.
In addition to the fines and imprisonment, there are legal costs claimed by the school, which could amount to several hundred thousand euros, and pending disciplinary proceedings before the Teaching Council of Ireland.
During the hearing, the judge stated that Burke had paid “a very high price” for his refusal to comply with the rulings. He noted that he had lost more than 700 days of his life in prison, damaged his financial situation and harmed his professional reputation.
Cregan described the teacher’s attitude as a “reckless and misguided” campaign and stated that the consequences could have been avoided if he had stayed away from the school.
Burke, who followed the session by videoconference, maintains that the core of the conflict cannot be reduced to a labour or procedural dispute. For him, it concerns the possibility that a Christian teacher may be compelled to use language that contradicts his convictions about man, woman and the biological reality of sex.