Three Australian men, involved in the cold-blooded murder of a father of six in a gangland-style shooting in Bali, have decided to challenge their increased jail sentences in Indonesia’s highest court. This move comes after a recent court decision to lengthen their time behind bars.
Last month, Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, Mevlut Coskun, 22, and Paea I Middlemore Tupou, 27, were convicted for the killing of 32-year-old Zivan Radmanovic. The incident occurred at a luxurious villa in Munggu, Bali, in June of the previous year.
The Denpasar District Court had earlier sentenced Jenson to 12 years in prison after a six-month trial, acknowledging his role in the crime. His co-accused, who directly executed the shooting, avoided capital punishment but initially received 16-year sentences each.
However, in a twist, the Bali High Court, responding to an appeal from prosecutors, decided to intensify the penalties. This month, Jenson saw his sentence extended by an additional five years.
Meanwhile, Coskun and Tupou faced a two-year extension to their sentences, prompting their decision to seek further appeal in hopes of revisiting these heightened penalties.
Coskun and Tupou had their sentences extended by two years.
Jenson’s legal team has launched an appeal with the Indonesian Supreme Court for his sentence to be reviewed, claiming that the recent High Court decision ‘appears to contain multiple serious errors’.
Both Coskun and Tupou are also expected to lodge appeals, with their lawyer scheduled to lodge a response on Tuesday.
Zivan Radmanovic, 32, (pictured with wife Jazmyn) was shot dead while holidaying in Bali
Lawyers for former Sydney tradie Darcy Francesco Jenson (pictured) have lodged an appeal after his sentence was recently increased by five years
Jenson’s lawyer Katharina Nutz alleged the judgment copied and pasted ‘arguments, statements, and reasoning from another defendant’s case’ and portrayed the Sydney tradie ‘as if he came to Indonesia as a paid professional killer’, News Corp reported.
‘When a court appears to copy and paste from another case, mix up defendants, or include statements that were never made, it raises very serious concerns about fairness and reliability,’ she claimed.
Ms Nutz alleged Coskun and Tupou were wrongly convicted as ‘aiders and abettors rather than as joint participants, even though aiding and abetting was not charged in their indictment’.
‘That is a fundamental problem because every defendant has the right to know exactly what accusation they must defend against,’ she said.
The pair’s lawyer claimed the High Court decision contains formal and material defects.
‘There is no logical legal reason for the increase of their sentences,’ Rahul Singh added.
Jenson, Coskun and Tupou remain in Indonesia’s notorious Kerobokan prison, where Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby and members of the Bali Nine also served time.
Jenson organised the logistics of the trip for the group in the months before the attack – in which another man was also injured – including accommodation, car hires and scooter rentals.
Lawyers for Coskun Mevlut (left) and Tupou Paea Midolmore (right) will also lodge appeals over their increased sentences
One man was shot dead and another was injured while staying at this luxury villa last June
The trio testified in court that they were hired to collect a debt from another man staying in the villa, Sanar Ghanim, but mistakenly shot dead Radmanovic in their confusion after they broke in on June 14, 2025.
They refused to name the Australian man who hired them.
Ghanim was shot six times while Radmanovic was beaten with a sledgehammer before being fatally shot. Both men had links to Melbourne’s underworld.
The two men had been holidaying in Bali with their partners to celebrate the 30th birthday of Radmanovic’s wife, Jazmyn Gourdeas.
She hid under a blanket during the horrific ordeal.
Ms Gourdeas and her family travelled to Bali last month for the initial sentencing, which had been pushed back a week after an unexpected delay.
Emotions boiled over in the courtroom as Radmanovic’s loved ones confronted his killers following the initial sentencing.
Lawyers for his family acknowledged the recent High Court decision to increase the sentences but still believed they were not enough.
‘A higher sentence would be better but they do appreciate the judicial system,’ Sary Latief said.
