Remand prisoner Simeon Burke could be released with ‘one flick of a pen’, judge says

Simeon Burke was supported in court by his parents, Martina and Sean, and siblings, Ammi and Isaac, pictured at an earlier hearing at Cloverhill Court. Photograph: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin A judge has told remand prisoner Simeon Burke that he is in custody voluntarily but could be released with “one flick of a pen” and his signature on a bail bond. The accused, a younger brother of secondary schoolteacher Enoch Burke, has pleaded not guilty to a breach of the peace in connection with outbursts in the Court of Appeal (CoA) on March 7th. Simeon Burke (24) a barrister-at-law Kings Inn student, has remained in custody since. He has adamantly refused to sign a bail bond with a condition stay away from the Four Courts, where his brother is at the centre of an ongoing legal dispute over his employment at Wilson’s Hospital School in Co. Westmeath. READ MORE Simeon Burke is charged with a breach of the peace, under the Public Order Act, for engaging in threatening, insulting and abusive words and behaviour at the CoA. Simeon, with an address at Cloonsunna, Castlebar, Co Mayo, could have faced his procedural hearing via video link but opted to appear in person. Ammi Burke, a qualified solicitor, stood beside him and was described by Simeon as his legal assistant. The judge told him he might be entitled to legal aid and the court could appoint a lawyer, but he declined and said he was representing himself. The judge asked if she was acting as “McKenzie Friend”, where a defendant, without a lawyer, is allowed an assistant to help them conduct their defence. During exchanges with Simeon, Judge Hughes told Ammi not to speak to him and told her to leave the dock area because she had “no status” in the proceedings. Judge Hughes noted the hearing would last two hours, and the prosecution intended to call five witnesses. Simeon Burke said he would have “a number of witnesses”, video footage and photographic evidence. However, Judge Hughes said, “I’m not going to delve into the reason why you have not signed the bail bond and remain in custody”. He stressed that the court endeavoured to prioritise cases of people in custody who have been refused bail but still have the presumption of innocence or cases involving domestic abuse, assaults on children, robberies, and victim impact statements. They were “vying for the court’s precious resources,” he told Mr Burke. “It is entirely of your own making; you are in custody in circumstances where with one flick of a pen, you could walk out,” he said. Since his arrest, Mr Burke has claimed gardaí lied, fabricated evidence and that he was innocent. “We are not in North Korea, judge, where you can be thrown in a cell and not be told what you have done,” he said at a previous hearing on Tuesday. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2023/03/29/judge-tells-prisoner-simeon-burke-he-could-be-released-with-one-flick-of-a-pen/