The former partner of Sydney siege gunman Man Monis has had her jail sentence cut by almost a decade on appeal.

Amirah Droudis, 41, will now serve a minimum 26 years and three months behind bars for murdering Monis’ ex-wife so they could be together.

Droudis stabbed the woman 18 times and then set her body alight in her Werrington unit block in 2013.

Monis faked a car accident to give himself an alibi but he was the mastermind of the plan designed to secure custody of his two boys.

He died in the Lindt siege before the case went to trial.

“Although the accused demonstrated an established pattern of acting at Monis’ behest, I do not consider that she was naive in her dealings with Monis,” Justice Peter Johnson found.

But on appeal Droudis argued the judge made an error when he found the death of Monis did not assist her.

The appeal court found his absence is relevant when it comes to assessing factors which includes her future dangerous to others.

“Although the applicant committed the murder of her own free will and to achieve a result she regarded as beneficial both to herself and Monis, the fact remains that Monis was the instigator of the crime,” the court found.

“His removal from her life does increase her prospects of rehabilitation.”

Although still adhering to Islam, the appeal court accepted she would not have committed the crime for purely ideological reasons.

“This is particularly the case when the evidence demonstrates that since she has been in prison the applicant has been a polite and co-operative prisoner,” the court found.

“There is nothing to indicate that she has expressed extremist views during her period in prison.”

Droudis was jailed in 2014 and with time served she will be eligible for parole in 2041.

Source: Nine News.

The Greek Parliament is to vote on Thursday on a bill which paves the way for the lending of ancient and modern Greek artifacts to foreign museums for up to 50 years.

The bill provides for the possibility of borrowing movable monuments from Greek museums for 25 years, with the possibility of extending for an additional 25 years.

The Ministry of Culture says this will allow the country to promote Greek art and culture on a global basis, especially in areas where there is a strong expatriate element such as Australia and the US.

“The museums of our country have tens of millions of movable monuments, which are kept in their warehouses,” the Ministry says in a statement.

“Of these, some, selected by the museums themselves and after obtaining the approval of the competent services of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and of course the Central Archaeological Council, in full application of the provisions of the Archaeological Law (Law 3028/2002), will be able to be exhibited as a single collection with long-term borrowing in museums or exhibition spaces abroad, necessarily retaining the name of the museum that lends its objects.”

READ MORE: ‘Bid for the Benaki’: Greek Museum launches online art auction.

The statement goes on to say the bill will specifically help the Benaki Museum, which has been approached by the Hellenic Museum of Melbourne to house some of its collection outside of Greece.

READ MORE: New Benaki Museum in Melbourne set to be first of its kind outside of Greece.

“In this way, the identity of the Greek community is strengthened, the comparative advantage of its homeland is highlighted in the best way and people all over the world come in contact with the Greek culture,” the Ministry says in a statement.

The current legal framework stipulates that an object can be transferred from a museum in Greece to a museum abroad for only five years, with the possibility of extension for another five years after a new decision. This limit is greatly expanded with the new proposed regulation.

Disgraced former NSW Labor MP Milton Orkopoulos has avoided jail for flouting his reporting obligations as a convicted child sex offender, after a magistrate said the court’s power to impose a harsher sentence was “fettered”.

On Wednesday Local Court Magistrate Philip Stewart sentenced Orkopoulos to a two-year community correction order after convicting him of one count of failing to comply with his reporting obligations under the Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act.

The charge related to the use of a non-authorised mobile phone with internet access to call his lawyer and his sister. This was a breach of his obligation to report to police details of “any carriage service used, or intended to be used” by him.

Orkopoulos pleaded guilty. During the sentencing process, the magistrate also took into account four other breaches, including setting up an Instagram account and speaking briefly to a child while on the phone to another adult.

The former MP was released on parole in December last year after serving 11½ years of his prison term of 13 years and eight months for sex offences against teenage boys and supplying them with drugs.

“Given the offender’s demonstrated attitude of ambivalence to his reporting obligations … I am unable to find that he is unlikely to reoffend,” Mr Stewart said.

He said 12 months’ imprisonment would “sheet home” to Orkopoulos the importance of compliance, and he was “not satisfied” the community would be protected by a non-custodial sentence when Orkopolous offended while on parole.

However, under the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act, the Local Court was prevented from imposing a new term of imprisonment “in circumstances where the offender is serving a sentence of 5 years or more”. Orkopoulos’ existing sentence does not expire until next year.

“The unintended consequence … is that a person serving a lengthy sentence can avoid further custodial penalty when dealt with in the Local Court, whereas a person with a less significant record or no record at all could be imprisoned,” Mr Stewart said.

“This effectively provides impunity for some offenders on parole serving lengthy sentences, including Mr Orkopoulos,” he said.

Under the community correction order, Orkopoulos is not allowed to use an internet-enabled phone, must abstain from drug use, and must continue participating in rehabilitation programs.

The breaches of reporting obligations were considered parole breaches by the State Parole Authority and Orkopoulos’ parole was revoked until the matters were dealt with in court.

Sourced By: Sydney Morning Herald