A judge has ordered Enoch Burke's €40,000 account with Bank of Ireland to be emptied in order to pay a portion of the €79,100 the sacked schoolteacher owes in contempt of court fines.
Bank of Ireland has been ordered to pay the sum from Burke's bank account into a Courts Service account within seven days, RTÉ News reports.
The High Court additionally granted a discovery order sought by lawyers for the Attorney General directing the bank to provide further details of activity on Burke's account.
Burke was in court for the hearing on Tuesday, accompanied by his mother Martina, sister Ammi, and brother Isaac.
Burke was granted time in court to make submissions as to why the conditional order issued by Justice David Nolan last week should not be made absolute.
According to the Irish Independent, Justice Nolan was not moved by Burke's submission, ultimately deciding: “I am afraid Mr. Burke has given me no reason whatsoever as to why the order should not be made.”
The case is due back in court in a fortnight.
In 2022, Burke was suspended on full pay as part of a disciplinary process after he allegedly confronted the school's then-principal Niamh McShane at a school dinner two months prior.
The confrontation came after McShane emailed all staff requesting that they refer to a transgender student by their new name and preferred pronouns.
Burke, an Evangelical Christian, repeatedly objected to McShane's request.
McShane allegedly told Burke that she would be willing to speak to him about the issues but added that the school dinner would not be an appropriate place to have the conversation.
However, Burke allegedly followed McShane and began shouting at her, prompting other people present at the dinner to stand between them to prevent Burke from continuing the confrontation.
The school obtained an injunction against Burke in August 2022 after he continued to attend the school despite being placed on administrative leave.
Burke was subsequently jailed that September for breaching a court order that prevented him from attending the school while a disciplinary process was carried out. He also refused to purge his contempt of court.
Burke has since spent several stints behind bars, totaling more than 500 days, for continuing to show up to Wilson's Hospital School in defiance of the court order.
Burke argues that he has been imprisoned for his religious beliefs, but several judges have rejected the notion, arguing instead that he is being imprisoned for his refusal to comply with court orders.
He was most recently released from prison in December, but Justice Nolan doubled the daily fine Burke will face if he returns to the school grounds from €700 to €1,400.
Burke has returned to Wilson's Hospital School since his release in December and, in turn, continues to rack up daily fines, none of which he has paid.
Despite having been sacked, Burke continues to receive his salary as he appeals his firing.
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