Amira Behari (pictured) wore a long leather coat and gloves as well as her traditional Islamic garb

A Muslim woman who refused to remove her burka to testify against a man accused of abusing her has been warned by a German judge she will be jailed if she does not comply.

Amira Behari, 43, refused to reveal her face at the State Court in Munich last year when she appeared to testify against a man who allegedly abused her in a train station.

The man, identified only as Kai.O, allegedly called her an 'a******e' and told her to 'go back to where you belong.'

Judge Thomas Mueller said at the original hearing in November he wanted to see her face to 'read her emotions,' adding: 'I need to see you otherwise there will be considerable problems in adjudicating your case.'

Behari refused, saying: 'I have a God at the end of the world who will see me right at the end. I will not do this.'

In court she wore a niqab, which is an ultra-burka with only a gap for the eyes. She also wore gloves and a long leather coat.

Judge Mueller gave up and said he had no alternative but to find the accused not guilty.

But his decision enraged judges anjd prosecutors in Germany who appealed the decision and have now scheduled the case again for next week.

The prosecutor's office in Munich consulted with Koranic experts who said it was permissible for a woman to remove her niqab before the judicial authorities such as judges, police, prosecutors on the basis of needs and damage prevention.'

If she fails to comply on March 17, she faces a fine or even a spell in jail.