Father of Irish teacher imprisoned for 'refusing to call a boy a girl' blasts 'disgraceful' Gardai for' abusing' his family - as he's released from prison after 45 days

The father of a controversial teacher who has been repeatedly jailed for 'refusing to call a boy a girl' has blasted the 'disgraceful' Gardai for 'abusing' his family. Sean Burke, who lives in Castlebar, County Mayo, was sent to Mountjoy prison in December 2024 for assaulting a female garda. The father-of-10, who is in his 60s, was found guilty of 'flinging Garda Victoria Fisher to the ground' during his son's hearing at the Court of Appeal on 7 March 2023.

During the proceedings 18 months ago, the judge decided to maintain a court order from Wilson's Hospital School stating Enoch must stay away from their premises. The History teacher had repeatedly tried to gain access to the building following his suspension - after he refused to use a transitioning student's preferred 'they/them' pronouns and was later accused of gross misconduct for exposing the headteacher's 'demand' during a school assembly.

After his wife was removed from the courtroom for shouting at the judge, Sean said he grew concerned for Martina - and claims to have accidentally knocked over the garda while trying to get to her. However, Judge Ronan Munro did not accept the incident was an accident after the court heard Sean 'flung' Victoria Fisher to the ground 'like a red rag to a bull'. The judge sentenced Sean to two months in Mountjoy prison, where his son has spent over 400 days in captivity during his various sentences.

Pictured: Enoch Burke's parents Martina and Sean leave Clover Hill court one week after the father-of-10 assaulted a female garda. Pictured: Enoch Burke arrives at the Court of Appeal in Dublin in February 2023 before he was eventually jailed. Last week, Sean was released from prison after only 45 days - prompting his family to post his statement, which was filmed outside Mountjoy's gates, on X. The father-of-10 said: 'It's sad really that this could happen in our country.

'When we think of the high levels of crime, drugs that are out of control, that the Gardai will have spent days and days and days since the 7th March 2023 pursuing the Burke family, trying to get a conviction against us.'. Accusing Judge Ronan Monro of being 'biased', Sean continued: 'We are Christians. Prison sentences don't change that - what we stand for and what we believe in. The teachings of Christianity [...].

'All of this started because three judges on the Court of Appeal decided to come out on the 7th March 2023 and say that my son's case was not about transgenderism. That's how bad it is.'. Recounting the events of his son's Court of Appeal hearing, Sean claimed his family were 'dragged out of the courtroom'. He continued: 'We were abused. My family. A disgraceful activity, a shambolic activity of the Gardai.

In a statement posted on X, Sean Burke said: 'When we think of the high levels of crime, drugs that are out of control, that the Gardai will have spent days and days and days since the 7th March 2023 pursuing the Burke family, trying to get a conviction against us'. Pictured: Enoch Burke's father Sean leaves Mountjoy prison after serving 45 days of his two month sentence. 'And instead of the Gardai going back and deciding what they did wrong and putting their situation right, they pursued the Burke family to get a conviction. And they're still doing that to this day.

'And what's happening at the moment with Enoch Burke, he's still being pursued by the state and abused by the state with imprisonment, with fines - to get him to move from his Christian belief.'. Last month, Enoch Burke returned to protest at Wilson's Hospital School following his release from prison and claimed he was 'welcomed' by pupils. Enoch, who has amassed over €193,000 in fines for refusing to comply with the High Court order to stay away from the school, was released from prison for a third time on 20 December 2024.

In an attempt to deter Enoch from returning to Wilson's Hospital School, the judge doubled the daily fine from €700 to €1,400. Pictured: Ammi Burke, Enoch Burke's sister, is forcibly removed from the Court of Appeal by gardai after repeatedly interrupting a judgment being read out in the courtroom in Dublin on 7 March 2023. Simeon Burke, brother of schoolteacher Enoch, is carried out of the Court of Appeal by gardaí, on 7 March 2023.

Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, Ireland. The former teacher took issue with the former headteacher asking staff to refer to a transgender student by their new name and pronouns. However, this didn't stop the teacher, who is still receiving his full salary while he appeals his sacking, from turning up at the school on the first day of term yesterday. Although the temperature dropped below zero at points, Enoch stood outside his former place of employment for the duration of its teaching hours on their official day back of the new year.