A woman accused of murdering her ex-lover after drugging him and mutilating his genitals has been formally denied bail in a Sydney court.
Jian Chen, 48, is charged with one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder and one count of murder.
She is accused of using sleeping pills to spike the soup she gave her former partner at her North Ryde home on February 9.
Xian Peng, 48, had only recently returned to Australia from China with a new girlfriend, according to police.
Once Mr Peng was asleep, Chen allegedly bound his hands and feet and stabbed him a number of times in the neck and groin, before cutting his penis and scrotum.
"An attempt to castrate him had taken place," said police facts.
"The victim also had lacerations to the left side of his groin and his penis had been scalped."
Chen, who ran a business importing seafood, allegedly called an ambulance, saying she had just stabbed her boyfriend.
During a brief mention at Burwood Local Court, Chen's lawyer said her client was willing to plea guilty to a lesser charge.
But the Director of Public Prosecutions "wasn't in a position to accept manslaughter", she told the court.
Magistrate Christopher Longley formally refused Chen bail and adjourned the case to the same court on October 12.