Yousef Palani: Man stabbed in the eye by Sligo double murderer brands him a ‘monster’

Anthony Burke recalled the horrific moment when Palani, who was given a mandatory life sentence yesterday for the murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee, attacked him outside his home on April 9 last year.

Palani was given a concurrent sentence of 20 years for causing grievous harm to Mr Burke by stabbing him in the left eye with a kitchen knife.

After the verdict, Mr Burke said Palani “wanted to dismember me”. He wanted to kill me.”

Mr Burke, who invited Palani to his home, revealed how they were “just chatting and I asked him if he worked, where he lived, normal stuff”.

When Burke asked Palani what he was into, “he turned to me and said he was into tying people up.

“He took the ropes out of his bag to show me and I said ‘No’.”

At this point Palani left but returned the next day. Anthony told Virgin Media News He wasn’t feeling well and managed to get him out of the house and walk him up the street.

“As I came around the corner near my house, he just came up behind me, jammed the knife into my eye and said angrily, ‘Go!’ And he stopped the bike in front of me, looked at me and watched the blood drain from my eye.”

As Palani fled the scene, Mr Burke managed to call an ambulance but admitted he was afraid he was dying as he was “growing weaker and weaker”.

Just days later, Yousef Palani killed Aiden Moffett and Michael Snee, and Anthony says he thinks about them every day.

“It’s worrying because he could have killed many more men,” he added.

Mr Burke, who lost an eye in the attack and now wears a prosthesis, says he finds it difficult to sleep at night.

“I get nightmares, I get shocks, nerve shocks in my eye, like I’m being stabbed again.”

He also said his life was ruined because he was forced to come out as gay due to the publicity surrounding the case.

“I never thought I would lose an eye as a homosexual. I shouldn’t have to. I shouldn’t have to lose anything. I have never harmed anyone in my life.

He added that he doesn’t know if he will ever get over what happened and branded Palani a “monster” and a coward who cannot face his victims.

“He came up behind me and caught my eye. He couldn’t face me, he didn’t want to face his victims, he was a coward.”

And while Anthony is grateful for the support he has received from the people of Sligo, he said Virgin Media that it’s his two dogs, Bella and Chase, that keep him going.

At Palani’s sentencing hearing, Judge Ring said he had been given time to build “new good memories” in Mr Burke’s case.

She said she considered the sequence of events in this prosecution and noted that it was followed by the murders of Mr. Moffitt on April 9 and Mr. Snee the next day. She added: “Vision loss represents the most devastating damage and brings incredible challenges and changes to life.”

“These men should be remembered as good family members and friends, not as victims. The details of her life should be more important, not the details of her death,” she concluded.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Burke said that on the night of the incident he believed he was meeting someone with whom he could share “an intimate moment”.

“I didn’t know that I would meet a coward and a monster that would destroy my life. “My condolences go out to the families of Aidan and Michael for the suffering they have endured,” he added.

Mr Burke said he had been very distressed since the attack and was in “severe pain” at the time and was suffering from insomnia. He said he suffered from increased anxiety, his mood worsened, he had suicidal thoughts and was prescribed antidepressants.

He said his injury left him with very limited access to employment and that he could no longer drive buses or trucks or hold a driver’s license.

Mr Burke said he had been very distressed since the attack and was in “severe pain” at the time and was suffering from insomnia. He said he suffered from increased anxiety, his mood worsened, he had suicidal thoughts and was prescribed antidepressants.

He said his injury left him with very limited access to employment and that he could no longer drive buses or trucks or hold a driver’s license.

Mr Burke said the incident had significantly changed his quality of life and left him feeling psychologically vulnerable.

“I find it difficult to be in large groups. I have spent the last 49 years repressing my sexuality until I had no other choice; it became public knowledge and I was attacked primarily because of my sexuality. That influenced me enormously and put a strain on me. “Family and friendships”.

Mr Burke said he had felt so much sadness, guilt and shame since the attack. “The area where this happened is close to me and I have to walk there every day. Every time I go there I see Yousef Palani sticking the knife into my eye. The fear I felt and I remember him watching me to see if I would collapse.”.