VICIOUS | 

Killer Yousef Palani being ‘barrier-handled’ after ‘berserk attack’ on prison officer

Monster who murdered two men in Sligo will be handled with staff in riot gear in Portlaoise

Today at 08:22

Homophobic double killer Youssef Palani is now being ‘barrier-handled’ in Portlaoise jail after viciously assaulting a prison officer.

Sources have confirmed the officer, who was assaulted when he requested that Palani exit an exercise yard in the prison on Wednesday, had to be hospitalised in the wake of the attack.

Evil Palani — who murdered two men in Sligo in 2022 and seriously assaulted a third man during a four-day murder spree — had been moved to maximum security Portlaoise after clocking up a series of disciplinary offences and coming under threat from violent criminals in Mountjoy.

The murderer was battered by deranged killer Stephen Penrose and three others in a cell in B base of Mountjoy Prison in March this year.

“Palani was on a restricted regime for his own protection since coming to Portlaoise,” a source told the Sunday World. “He refused to come in from the exercise after his time was up on Wednesday and an officer went out to reason with him and convince him to go back to his cell.“But instead of complying, Palani went berserk when told his time was up and carried out a completely unprovoked attack on the officer.

“He was ultimately restrained but not before inflicting injuries on the officer.

“The officer had to be hospitalised.”

The source said a decision had now been made that Palani is to be barrier-handled on all occasions when he leaves his cell.

This involves prison officers suiting up in the equivalent of riot gear and holding shields when he is being escorted from one area of the prison to another.

“The number of disciplinary offences Palani has clocked up is now running into double figures,” the source said.