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Enoch Burke's father jailed for courtroom assault on garda

Sean Burke refused to sign the peace bond and was ordered into custody
Sean Burke refused to sign the peace bond and was ordered into custody

Sean Burke, the father of Enoch Burke, has been jailed for two months for assaulting a garda in a courtroom last year.

The 60-year-old, of Cloonsunna, Castlebar, Co Mayo, was sent to prison after he refused to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for a year.

His daughter Ammi was cleared of obstructing a garda during the same incident.

Sean Burke was found guilty last year of assaulting Garda Victoria Fisher in the Four Courts during a hearing in the case of his son Enoch, who is currently in prison for contempt of court.

Sean Burke's wife Martina was being escorted from the court on 7 March last year, but he grabbed Gda Fisher, knocked her down and she hit a radiator and was bruised.

Even though he had been spared a conviction and would have no criminal record because he had been given the Probation Act, Sean Burke appealed the verdict to the Circuit Court.

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However following a three-day hearing, he lost the case and Judge Ronan Munro convicted him of assaulting the garda.

The judge referred to the uncontested evidence that Sean Burke shouted at gardaí to leave his wife alone, and he did not accept that knocking the garda down was accidental.

Judge Munro held that there was an intentional application of force by Sean Burke.

He sentenced Sean Burke to two months in prison, which he suspended on condition that Sean Burke be of good behaviour for a year and keep the peace.

However Sean Burke said he felt demeaned during the hearing, he did not accept the verdict and refused to sign the bond.

Judge Munro ordered that he would serve the sentence.

Sean Burke, who had represented himself, shook hands with and hugged his son before being led into custody.

Ammi Burke won her appeal against her conviction for obstructing a garda. A qualified solicitor, she had been fined €400 and convicted for putting her hand on the garda for a few seconds as he helped arrest her brother Simeon.

Judge Munro said however there was a reasonable doubt in her case.

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