Yousef Palani arrived in Ireland aged six through refugee resettlement. Sixteen years later, he used gay dating applications to select Irish men living alone, permanently blinded Anthony Burke, murdered Aidan Moffitt and murdered Michael Snee. Garda evidence said the attacks were motivated by hostility and prejudice towards gay men. Palani admitted he would have continued killing had he not been stopped.
Resettled in Ireland as a child
Palani was born in Iraq to a Kurdish family. Reporting records that the family fled Iraq, spent time in refugee camps and entered Ireland through a resettlement programme when he was six. The family settled in Sligo. His parents later obtained Irish citizenship, but reliable reporting located for this file does not establish Palani’s own citizenship.
This was not an illegal-entry or border-screening case. He arrived as a child and the sentencing court heard that he had no previous convictions. Refugee resettlement is part of the documented chronology, not an established cause of crimes committed sixteen years later.
Three attacks in four days
On 9 April 2022, Palani attacked Anthony Burke at his home, stabbing him through the eye and permanently taking sight from that eye. On 10 April, he murdered Aidan Moffitt. On 12 April, he murdered Michael Snee. Both murdered men were bound and suffered numerous sharp-force injuries.
The court heard that Palani used gay dating applications to identify gay Irish men who lived alone and asked potential victims whether they were “100% Irish”. Detective Garda Conor Jordan attributed the attacks to hostility and prejudice towards gay men. Palani later made admissions and said he would have kept killing if Gardaí had not stopped him.
No terrorism finding and no insanity defence
Gardaí found no evidence that Palani had been radicalised. Investigators regarded his claim that voices directed him as exaggerated or possibly fabricated, and psychiatric evidence did not support a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The Islamic and immigrant communities in Sligo were praised for assisting the investigation.
Palani pleaded guilty to both murders and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Burke. The plea concerning Mr Burke replaced the attempted-murder charge originally contemplated.
Sentence and public record
On 23 October 2023, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring imposed two mandatory life sentences and twenty years for intentionally causing serious harm. All sentences run concurrently and were backdated to 13 April 2022.
No reported conviction appeal, prisoner transfer, citizenship decision or removal process was located. A life sentence has no fixed expiry. Parole eligibility after the statutory minimum is not release and would not terminate the sentence.
Chronology
- 2006: Approximate arrival through refugee resettlement, aged six.
- 9 April 2022: Anthony Burke attacked and permanently blinded in one eye.
- 10 April 2022: Aidan Moffitt murdered.
- 12 April 2022: Michael Snee murdered.
- 13 April 2022: Palani taken into custody.
- 31 July 2023: Guilty pleas entered.
- 23 October 2023: Two life sentences and concurrent 20-year term.
Cost benchmark
The twelve-year statutory parole floor, used only as a custody-capacity benchmark, represents €1,188,864 at the Irish Prison Service’s 2024 staffed-space average. A twenty-year comparison is €1,981,440.
Questions the State should answer
- What long-term services are being provided to the surviving victim?
- What risk and treatment work is underway in custody?
- Has any prisoner-transfer or citizenship assessment been undertaken?
- How will the prejudice motive inform any future parole review?
- Why is there no easily accessible official sentencing record for the public?