Man jailed for life for murder of two gay men in Sligo

Yousef Palani, a 23-year old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of two gay men in Sligo last year. He also received a 20-year sentence for assaulting a third man, who lost the sight of one eye as a result of the attack.

Mr Palani had used a LGBTQ dating app to meet gay men who lived alone with the intention of killing them. Palani stabbed the victims in their homes before mutilating their bodies.

Victims Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee were murdered in separate attacks on the 10th and 12th of April 2022.

A third victim, Anthony Burke, was stabbed in the eye by Palani on April 9th.

The attacks triggered a massive Garda-led man hunt around the town of Sligo, with armed officers visiting the homes of gay men to track down Palani. With the assistance of Anthony Burke , gardaí traced Palani to his home and arrested him.

Mr Palani told gardaí he would have continued to kill if he had not been stopped.

Yousef Palani pleaded guilty on on all three charges; the murder of Aidan Moffit, the murder of Michael Snee and the cause of serious harm to Mr Burke.

Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring imposed a mandatory life sentence on each count of murder. She also also sentenced Mr Palani to 20 years for the attack on Mr Burke. The sentences will run concurrently. Ms Justice Ring said Palani had committed acts of 'unspeakable violence on three innocent men'.

Prosecuting counsel Lorcan Staines said the attacks were motivated by hostility and prejudice towards homosexual men.

There was some speculation that Palani may have been radicalised by terrorist groups after the discovery of €350,000 cash in two suitcase in Mr Palani's home. Gardaí worked with overseas security agencies and concluded that there was no evidence to support that outside groups or individuals were involved in the attacks.

Prosecuting counsel Mr Staines said gardaí did not believe Palani was radicalised and said they specifically wanted to acknowledge the cooperation and support they received from the Islamic Community in Sligo.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring said the case was about real people and their families: "This is not about headlines, it is about real people and their families. The right to privacy may go on one's death but the right to respect never does".

She said that she was not going to repeat the "unspeakable violence visited on three innocent men" and said she too shared the concern as to what will flow from the case and the potential headlines.

Ms Justice Ring described the two deceased men as "cherished and valuable members" of their communities. She further continued to say that the families of the victims have "nothing to be ashamed of", adding that 'shame is borne in this court by one person alone".

The case was heard in the Central Criminal Court. Photo: Dublin Criminal Courts Website

She added: "The loss of a loved one is a never ending loss, the loss of one's sight is a never ending loss."

Ms Justice Ring wished the Moffitt and Snee families "some peace into the future" and wished Mr Burke all the best.

Mr Burke said he had been very distressed since the attack, saying he was suffering chronic pain, insomnia, heightened anxiety and that his mood had deteriorated.

Furthermore, the victim had entertained suicidal thoughts and had been prescribed antidepressants. Burke stated that he is restricted in how he can access employment,  he can no longer drive buses or trucks. He further stated 'the area this happened in is local to me and I have to walk there every day. Every time I walk there I see Yousef Palani shoving the knife in my eye".

Palani, who is originally from Iraq and came to Ireland when he was 6 years old, repeatedly insisted that he was not gay in spite of forensic evidence that he had engaged in sexual activity with at least one victim.

In an interview, Palani made full admissions. The 23 year old claimed he voices which told him to carry out the attacks.

Detective Garda Conor Jordan told counsel Lorcan Staines that there is no evidence to support Palani's claim of mental health issues and believes that his accounts of hearing voices made be exaggerated or completely made up.

Mr Michael Bowman SC, who acted for Palani said he was instructed to offer an apology on behalf of his client, saying he accepts that "he acted grotesquely without explanation or  justification".