Nirmeen Noufl, 56, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her husband, Mamdouh Noufl, 62, who she is accused of killing at their home in Greenacre, western Sydney, in May 2023.
Prosecutors have accepted the manslaughter plea, meaning Noufl will not be tried for murder. She appeared via video link from custody on Wednesday, entering a not guilty plea to murder but a guilty plea to the alternative charge of manslaughter.
Noufl was accused of dismembering her husband's body with kitchen knives and an electric drop saw following a physical altercation. Police allege she then disposed of his remains, contained in up to 30 rubbish bags, in residential and industrial bins across western Sydney. Mr. Noufl's remains have not been recovered.
Friends reported Mamdouh Noufl missing in July 2023, two months after his alleged death. In the weeks following, Noufl allegedly used her husband's phone and social media to create the impression he was still alive. She also reportedly contacted a woman in Egypt, to whom Mr. Noufl was allegedly engaged and sending money, to ask for the return of funds.
Court documents revealed during an earlier bail application indicated the marriage was marked by domestic abuse. According to these documents, Mr. Noufl had become engaged to another woman in Egypt in late 2022 and expressed a desire to maintain both relationships.
Noufl was appointed director of We Care Disability and Aged Pty Ltd in November 2022, a family-owned business. She stood down from this role and handed over directorship to another relative a few weeks after her husband was reported missing in July 2023.
The couple, who had moved from Egypt to Sydney over 30 years prior, had lived in their Greenacre home for approximately ten years. The home sold in April 2023.
Noufl is scheduled to return to court for a sentencing hearing in September.