Jailed mother and daughter Martina and Ammi Burke are set to undergo medical assessments before prison authorities decide their next steps.
It is understood that the Burkes, who arrived late on Tuesday at the Dochas Centre in Dublin, were placed in a committal cell where they spent the night ahead of scheduled assessments on Wednesday, reports The Mirror.
The pair avoided spending their first night on the floor in the overcrowded women’s prison and were instead given a bed in a committal cell, where inmates are temporarily held before entering the general prison population.
Sources say the Burkes were due to attend medical evaluations before any decision is made about transferring them into the main prison population, reports The Mirror.
This comes as the facility is operating at more than 150% capacity, meaning they may end up serving their two-week sentences sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
Martina and Ammi, who had been evading arrest since a judge issued a warrant on March 4, were detained on Tuesday after attempting to visit Enoch Burke at Castlerea Prison, reports The Mirror.
Prison staff alerted gardaí, who then arrested the pair at the scene.
There are currently 5,889 prisoners held across the country, putting the prison system at 125% capacity as of Tuesday, reports The Mirror.
Mr Justice Brian Cregan ordered that both women be jailed for two weeks due to their conduct during a High Court hearing last month, describing their actions as “a paradigmatic case of contempt of court”.
“They both knew full well that they had no right of audience and no right to speak, yet they persisted in standing up in court and shouting and roaring at the top of their voices. They did so simultaneously and in a concerted manner,” the judge said, reports The Mirror.
Judge Cregan was referring to a court session on February 20 when proceedings had to be paused and the two women were removed by gardaí.
In his ruling, Mr Justice Cregan said it was evident that Enoch Burke and other members of his family, including Martina and Ammi Burke, believed they were above the law, reports The Mirror.
“There is no exemption for Christian evangelicals or climate change activists or animal rights activists or anti-abortion protestors. The law applies equally to all persons who seek to deliberately interrupt court proceedings and seek to disrupt them,” the Judge also told the court, reports The Mirror.
Referring specifically to Ammi Burke, who is a solicitor, the judge said she fully understands courtroom conduct rules.
He described her actions on February 20 as “a deliberate and brazen contempt of court” and said they were “disgraceful and indefensible,” reports The Mirror.
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