Man charged with murders of two men in Sligo remanded in custody

Yousef Palani (22) receiving psychiatric care while in prison, court told

Yousef Palani being led into Sligo District Court after being charged in relation to the Sligo murders. File photograph: Brian Lawless/PA
Yousef Palani being led into Sligo District Court after being charged in relation to the Sligo murders. File photograph: Brian Lawless/PA

A man charged with the recent murder of two men in Sligo town has been further remanded in custody until May 12th.

Yousef Palani (22) of Markievicz Heights Sligo appeared at Sligo District court on Thursday by video link from Castlerea prison.

His solicitor Mr Gerry McGovern told Judge Sandra Murphy that no application for bail was being made “at this point in time”.

The accused is charged with the murder of Aidan Moffitt at 4 Carton Heights Sligo on April 10th last. He was further charged with murdering Michael Snee at 24 City View apartments, Sligo on April 12th. The defendant is facing a separate charge of assault causing harm to a man in Sligo on April 9th.

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At Thursday’s’s court sitting, Judge Murphy pointed out that she had made a number of orders when Mr Palani appeared at a special court sitting last week, asking that he receive medical attention and asked if this had happened.

Asked by Mr McGovern if he has seen a psychiatrist or a consultant , Mr Palani replied that he had. A prison officer appearing alongside him from Castlerea prison said that he had been in the middle of a consultation with a psychiatrist this morning which had been interrupted for his court appearance.

The solicitor told Mr Palani that his legal team would be visiting him when the 14 day Covid-19 quarantine period, widely applied in the present circumstances as a matter of routine, was up.

Mr McGovern told Judge Murphy that he had got “absolutely no instructions yet” but “we hope to see him once we are able to visit him in prison”.

Judge Murphy who had granted the accused legal aid last week in relation to the assault charge, assigned Mr McGovern on Thursday in relation to the two murder charges.

Marese McDonagh

Marese McDonagh

Marese McDonagh, a contributor to The Irish Times, reports from the northwest of Ireland