Man Monis’s partner Amirah Droudis to stand trial for murder

THE partner of Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis has been ordered to stand trial in the Supreme Court, for the murder of the Lindt Cafe shooter’s ex wife.

• Amirah Droudis is charged with the murder of Man Monis’s ex-wife

• Noreen Hayson Pal was stabbed almost 20 times and then set on fire

• Droudis had been granted bail but it was revoked last December

THE partner of Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis has been ordered to stand trial in the Supreme Court, for the murder of the Lindt Cafe shooter’s ex wife.

Amirah Droudis appeared briefly in Penrith Local Court this morning, as the case was moved to the Supreme Court.

The 36 year old is charged with murdering Noreen Hayson Pal in April 2013, allegedly by stabbing her almost 20 times in the back, pouring fuel on her and setting her alight.

Droudis had been granted bail but it was revoked last December, barely a week after Monis stormed the Lindt cafe and took terrified customers hostage for 17 hours.

He was shot dead by police after the cafe was stormed when he murdered the cafe’s manager Tori Johnson. Barrister and mother of three, Katrina Dawson, was also killed in the siege.

Amirah Droudis with her daughter near her Belmore home.

The December bail review hearing was told there was a “strong” circumstantial case against Droudis, including the description of the killer -a chubby-faced woman of Middle-Eastern appearance wearing a burka - being similar to Droudis.

An extra-long match had been used to set Ms Pal on fire and there was evidence of Droudis using such a long match at a barbecue the month before the murder, the court heard.

Droudis will now appear in the Supreme Court on September 4.

No date has been set for the murder trial.