Yousef Palani exaggerated mental health issues, sentencing hearing told

Yousef Palani exaggerated mental health issues when being questioned in relation to the murders of Michael Snee and Aidan Moffitt in Sligo last year, his sentencing hearing has been told today. 

The 23-year old had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of both men and to intentionally causing harm to a third man, Anthony Burke.

Palani, who is of Iraqi origin, but became a naturalised Irish citizen, was living in Markievicz Heights in Sligo at the time that he violently attacked the men separately in their own homes between 9th and 12th of April, 2022.

One of the victims, Aidan Moffitt, was reported to have been beheaded during the attack, while both men’s bodies were described as mutilated.

The Central Criminal Court  was told today that one of the victims was decapitated and had 43 stab wounds, while another was stabbed 25 times mainly to the head, neck and chest.

Both Mr Moffitt and Michael Snee, were believed to have been contacted by Palani on the gay dating app, Grindr before being brutally attacked in their homes.

Victims Michael Snee and Aidan Moffit 

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Today the court heard that Palani had targeted gay men living alone, and that he had become obsessed with tying his victims up before killing them.

The double killer at first denied any involvement in the murders, but later told gardaí he did not hate gay people and that “voices” told him to do it.

However, in a later interview he gave a graphic description of carrying out the violent attacks and told gardaí he had not been mentally well for seven years.

But the court heard that no psychiatric report had ever been provided to gardaí and that Palani appeared to have exaggerated his mental health issues.

While he had told Gardaí that his Muslim religion forbade homosexuality, they believed the killer was not radicalised.

Previous reports told that the double killer went to pray in his local mosque he had brutally murdered  popular businessman Aidan Moffitt at his home on April 10, 2022.

A huge sum of cash, believed to be as much as €250,000 was found hidden by gardaí searching Palani’s home after the murders.

Anthony Burke, who survived Palani’s attack said that the double killer had a ‘kill list’ and that he believed the murdered planned to kill 12 people in total.

Mr Burke, who was stabbed in the eye by his assailant told the Sligo Champion: “There were about 12 people on the list. He would have just gone around to every single one of them. He had a kill list. He was going to kill everyone that he was chatting to on Grindr.”

After connecting on Grindr, Palani called to Mr Burke’s home and showed him ropes, saying “this was his ‘thing’ – he liked to tie people up”. 

He then showed Mr Burke online profiles of “around a dozen men” he had been chatting to on Grindr.

“There were about 12 people on the list. He would have just gone around to every single one of them. He had a kill list. He was going to kill everyone that he was chatting to on Grindr,” Mu Burke said.

Mr Burke said he refused to be tied up by the evil killer and ushered Palani out of his home, but the killer followed him back towards his house and stabbed him in the eye before saying: “There you go”.

The hearing continues at the Central Criminal Court.

 

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Stephen
6 months ago

Whoever facilitated this Islamic terrorist entering Ireland should hang their heads in shame. The road to hell is truly paved with good intentions.

Des Sutton
6 months ago

The correlation and indeed causation of the massive spike in violent/sexual crime across europe over the last decade + is inextricably linked to open border migration .The data across Europe proves this, with this data and real world consequences apparent for every one to see.
The question must be asked, why has the Irish political class made a conscious decision in recent years to facilitate the globalist trade of undocumented people trafficing masked as the asylum/refugee industry into Ireland and put their citizens at increase risk of violent crime and a more polarised and dangerous society????

Would you support a decision by Ireland to copy the UK's "Rwanda Plan", under which asylum seekers are sent to the safe - but third world - African country instead of being allowed to remain here?

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