Enoch Burke: Gardaí complete criminal inquiry into alleged trespass at school

The State prosecutor must now decide whether he should face criminal charges. This decision is expected “within weeks”, according to a source.

We can reveal that gardaí at Westmeath have now sent a file outlining alleged trespass to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The State prosecutor’s office is expected to shortly inform investigating officers whether Mr Burke should be formally charged with a criminal offence.

In a statement to this newspaper, garda headquarters confirmed, without directly identifying the schoolteacher, that its investigation was complete and a file has been forwarded to the DPP.

The statement read: “A male was arrested under the Public Order Act 1994 on Tuesday January 24, 2023, and taken to Mullingar garda station. He was subsequently released and a file has since been sent to the Office of the DPP.”

As previously reported, should Mr Burke be charged with trespass, one of the conditions of his bail would stipulate that he is not permitted to return to Wilson's Hospital School.

According to a source: “If he is charged, this would be a sure-fire way of stopping his daily appearance. Because he would be in breach of his bail conditions and gardaí would have the power to remove him.

“It is a matter for the DPP whether he faces criminal charges. What is most certainly in the best interests of the school and the children’s education is to not have Mr Burke presenting on a daily basis.”

Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian, was suspended last August following incidents in which he clashed with school management over a request to call a transgender pupil by a new name and to use “they/their” pronouns in connection with the child.

Mr Burke has shown up almost every day since January 5. On January 24, gardaí were called to the school and arrived in an unmarked car.

Mr Burke was arrested in the school courtyard after being denied entry to the building.

He taken in the back of the garda vehicle and brought to Mullingar garda station. He was later released without charge and returned to the school that same day.