Not long after the Sydney siege began, police knew they were dealing with a dangerous man who was at the centre of a murder investigation, new evidence has revealed.
The inquest into the Lindt Cafe siege has been told a homicide detective provided a detailed intelligence report on gunman Man Haron Monis within hours of him taking 18 people hostage in central Sydney.
Monis drew his shotgun and ordered the doors locked at the cafe in Martin Place not long after 8.30am on December 15 last year.
In evidence to the inquest on Thursday, Detective Senior Constable Melanie Staples said she learned shortly before midday that day the gunman could be Monis - a man she had charged with being an accessory to murder in 2013 and who was free on bail.
"I reported my suspicions directly to the commander at the homicide squad that I believed it was Monis in the cafe," Det Sen Const Staples told the inquest.
She was directed to collate and send the information she had on Monis and before 1pm, officers managing the siege had an intelligence profile, his criminal history and a psychological report.
At the time, Monis was also facing 40 charges of sexual assault.
Gabrielle Bashir SC, counsel for the family of Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson who was killed by Monis, asked if that dossier would have told police at the siege they were dealing with "a manipulative and extremely dangerous man".
Det Sen Const Staples said she could only assume they had drawn those conclusions.
The siege lasted 17 hours before ending in a hail of gunfire and the deaths of Mr Johnson, lawyer Katrina Dawson and Monis.
The inquest is probing how Monis came to be on bail when he was facing such serious charges.
Previously the court has heard that critical evidence about Monis breaching a previous bail was not used when he faced court, and he was given bail on the accessory to murder charges in the death of his ex-wife in December 2013.
Police were angry over the bail decision and an email shows senior homicide detectives criticised the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions solicitor as "terrible" and not being across the brief.
However, Det Sen Const Staples admitted on Thursday that the DPP solicitor, whose name has been suppressed, did not tell her he was doing a "terrible" job of the bail hearing and accepted it was unfair of her to describe his performance that way to her commanding officer.
Legal arguments over whether communications between police and crown solicitors on Monis's bail matters are covered by legal privilege have prolonged the inquest.
The current session will now extend to a third week when an expert bail panel, that was to have been heard on Thursday, will give its assessment of Monis's bail.
The hearing continues on Friday.
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