Sydney, Aug 14 - An Australian man accused of killing three of a family in 2003 had faked a brain tumour and claimed he had only six months to live, in an attempt to gain sympathy and access to the family, a court in Brisbane was told.

Max Sica, 39, is facing three murder charges for allegedly killing 24-year-old Neelma Singh, her 18-year-old brother Kunal and 12-year-old younger sister Sidhi and leaving their bodies in a spa bath at the family's Bridgeman Downs home in April 2003, The Age reported.

Prosecutor Brendan Campbell told the Brisbane Magistrate's Court that Sica used brain tumour fib to get access to the family and then hatched a plot to push his victims' father, Vijay Singh, out of the family so that he could continue a relationship with Neelma.