Yousef Palani has been sentenced to life in prison by the Central Criminal Court for the murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee in Co Sligo in April 2022. .
A 20-year sentence for the violent attack on Anthony Burke, which saw the victim lose sight in his eye, was additionally imposed. The sentences will be back dated to April 2022 when Palani was first arrested and taken into custody.
Earlier today, the sentencing hearing was told that Palani exaggerated mental health issues when being questioned by gardaí in relation to the murders of Michael Snee and Aidan Moffitt.
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.