Years before he was a threatening character wearing an ayatollah’s robes and screaming abuse at TV presenter David Koch, Man Haron Monis drank alcohol, bought gold jewellery for a woman he wanted to marry and had a fleet of luxury cars.

Bizarre details of Monis’s life before he committed the horrendous crimes of the Sydney siege emerged at the inquest into the tragedy on Tuesday.

Amanda Morsy told the inquest she went out with Monis a number of times in 2003 after they were introduced by a friend.

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Man Haron Monis was once rejected by a bikie gang. Photo: NSW Justice

Telling her his name was Michael Hayson and that he was from Romania, Monis set out to impress Ms Morsy.

She was about 20 years old and Monis, who was 39, said he was “in his mid-30s”.

Ms Morsy told the court Monis bought her gifts, including a 24-carat gold necklace, paid for everything on dates and drove a series of prestige cars including a Mercedes, a Jeep and a Peugeot convertible – all with personalised, sequential number plates that read MNH-001, MNH-002 and MNH-003.

Monis even lent her the Peugeot for three months.

“He came across as someone who was very well-off,” Ms Morsy told the court.

Monis drank wine when they went out but never discussed religion or wore the clerical robes he would employ for his future public protests.

Ms Morsy told the inquest she never went out alone with Monis, only with her friends or sister.

Their dates were formal, Monis was secretive and there was never any romance.

“I was a bit uncomfortable with his presence – I thought that there was something odd about it,” she said.

Monis went to Ms Morsy’s mother and told her he wanted her daughter’s hand in marriage.

“She told me she didn’t feel comfortable with him. I felt the same way,” Ms Morsy said.

The relationship ended soon after but five years later a very different Monis appeared.

Channel Seven journalist David Richardson (L) and security chief Scott McIlveena. Photo: AAP

Seven Network security manager Scott McIlveena told the inquest that in mid-2008 he had to block Monis when, dressed in robes, he ran screaming into Sydney’s Martin Place where Seven personality David Koch was signing autographs outside the station’s studio.

Monis was angry about a story on Seven’s Sunrise program that wrongly named terror suspect Dr Mohamed Haneef and had demanded an apology.

Mr McIlveena said Monis was shouting: “David Koch is the boss. He’s a killer and a terrorist.”

“I could not reason with him,” he said.

Also in 2008, Seven Network journalist David Richardson heard of a “fake sheikh” who was sending abusive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers.

One of Man Haron Monis’ associates, Ahmed Alaei, left court after giving evidence. Photo: AAP

Mr Richardson detailed how investigations revealed Monis – then going by the name Sheikh Haron – as the author of the letters.

Within Sydney’s Iranian community, Monis maintained yet another identity.

Businessman Ahmad Alaei told the inquest he knew Monis as Sheik Manteghi in 2000.

When he next saw Monis in 2013, Monis told him he had $2 million in an overseas bank he wanted to invest.

If Mr Alaei and another man each kicked in $500,000, Monis would bring in his money.

The money never materialised.

Instead, Mr Alaei lost $9000 on a rental house he arranged for Monis after the “sheik” left with rent unpaid and the property damaged.

The hearing continues on Wednesday.

-AAP