Attacker who murdered gay men & stabbed the eye of another is going away for a long time

An Irish court handed down two concurrent life sentences to a 23-year-old man for the brutal murders of two gay men.

Yousef Palani pleaded guilty on Monday to the 2022 murders of 41-year-old Aidan Moffitt and 58-year-old Michael Snee, in Sligo, Ireland. Palani also pleaded guilty to attacking and seriously injuring a third gay man, Anthony Burke, for which he received an additional 20-year sentence, also to be served concurrently.

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According to The Irish Times, Palani targeted his victims using a gay dating app in April 2022. During what it described as a four-day spree of violence, he stabbed to death and mutilated the bodies of Moffitt and Snee at their homes on April 10 and 12, respectively. Burke survived Palani’s first attack on April 9 and helped police track him down.

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Police said the attacks were based on Palani’s “hostility and prejudice” against gay men, and they believe he would have continued to kill if he had not been arrested.

After initially denying involvement, Palani later admitted to the crimes, claiming that he heard voices telling him to carry out the attacks. Palani, who was born in Iraq and moved to Ireland with his family when he was six years old, reportedly insisted that he was not gay, telling police that Muslims could not be homosexual. However, forensic evidence showed that he engaged in sexual activity with at least one of his victims, according to The Irish Times.

Detective Conor Jordan said that there was no evidence that Palani suffered from mental health issues or that he was radicalized. Police praised the Islamic and immigrant community for helping in the investigation.

In his victim impact statement, Burke described the “fierce pain” he suffered during the attack as well as the anxiety, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts he has experienced since. His injury has limited his ability to access employment, he said, and he has felt sadness, guilt, and shame since the attack.

“The area this happened is local to me and I have to walk there every day,” Burke said. “Every time I walk there I see Yousef Palani shoving the knife in my eye. The fear I felt and I remember him watching me to see if I would collapse.”

Palani’s lawyer, Michael Bowman, offered an apology on behalf of his client, saying that Palani “recognizes the pain, loss, and suffering on the deceased and the injured party. He accepts he acted grotesquely and without explanation or justification.”

During sentencing on Monday at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, Justice Mary Ellen Ring described Palani’s crimes as “unspeakable violence” and his victims as “cherished and valued” members of their communities. They and their families had nothing to be ashamed of, she said.

“Shame is borne in this court by one person alone,” she added, referring to Palani.