Prosecutors on the Indonesian island of Bali are set to appeal the sentences of three Australian nationals involved in a brutal shooting, arguing for harsher penalties.
On Friday, the appeal was filed on behalf of Darcy Francesco Jenson, Mevlut Coskun, and Paea I Middlemore Tupou.
Gde Ancana, a spokesperson for the Badung prosecutor’s office, explained that the decision to appeal was influenced by several considerations, notably the perspectives of the victims’ families.
“The public prosecutor believes the current ruling does not adequately serve the cause of justice, particularly for those connected to the victims, Zivan Radmanovic and Sanar Ghanim,” Ancana remarked.
In the violent incident, Radmanovic lost his life, and Ghanim sustained severe injuries. The perpetrators claimed that the attack stemmed from a debt linked to a gangland figure.
The case is now set to advance to the Bali High Court, where the Australians could potentially face more severe sentences, including the possibility of the death penalty.
Mr Ancana added that the judge’s decision to drop charges under the Emergency Law also contributed to the appeal.
‘In the case of the defendant Jenson, in its ruling the panel of judges essentially did not consider the third charge of the Public Prosecutor, namely Article 1 paragraph (1) of Emergency Law No. 12 of 1951, as stated in the prosecutor’s indictment. In this matter, the defendant assisted in facilitating the defendants Mevlut Coskun and Paea I Middlemore Tupou in possessing and using firearms.’
Darcy Francesco Jenson and Mevlut Coskun and Paea I Middlemore Tupou (pictured) were each handed decade-plus prison sentences
Prosecutors in Bali have decided to appeal the sentences handed down to three Australians involved in a horrific shooting case
Badung prosecutor spokesperson Gde Ancana said the decision to appeal considered several factors, including the voices of the victims’ families
Jenson, was sentenced to 12 years jail in a Balinese court earlier this month, shortly after his co-accused Mevlut Coskun and Paea I Middlemore Tupou, who carried out the attack, were sentenced to 16 years each.
Jenson organised the logistics of the trip for the group in the months before the attack, including accommodation, car hires and scooter rentals.
The men said they were hired to collect a debt from the other man staying in the villa, 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 they said hired them.
They two men been holidaying at a villa in the area of Munggu on the tourist island with their partners. Radmanovic’s wife, Jazmyn, was celebrating her 30th birthday.
Prosecutors said Ghanim was shot six times while Radmanovic was beaten with a sledgehammer before being fatally shot. Both men had links to Melbourne’s underworld.
Presiding judge Wayan Suarta ruled Coskun, Tupou were and Jenson ‘legally and convincingly’ guilty of the premeditated murder.
Radmanovic’s widow Jazmyn Gourdeas and her family travelled to the Balinese court on Monday for their sentencing, which was pushed back a week after an unexpected delay.
Zivan Radmanovic (pictured with his wife, Jazmyn Gourdeas) was killed on June 14, 2025
Her mother Renata Deegan outside court furiously slammed the sentences, saying ‘it’s a joke’ and the group were allowed to just ‘walk away’.
The three men were arrested in the days after the alleged shooting as they tried to flee the country. Jenson claimed he only found out about the violence afterwards.
Coskun, 22, and Tupou, 27, were tried together while Jenson, 27, had a separate trial.
Judge Suarta said: ‘The crime was well-planned.
‘The motivation to (commit) the crime was to get money. The defendants have also tried to run away to another country.’
Denpasar District Court heard the two Australians were ‘cooperative, still young and still have hope for their future.’
The 16-year sentence was lighter than that sought by the prosecution of 17 to 18 years. The worst case scenario for the pair would have been the death penalty.
Coskun and Tupou were also charged with firearm offences.
Coskun (left) and Tupou (right) were sentenced to 16 years each
Ms Gourdeas, her mother and her sister Daniella Gourdeas, who is the partner of Ghanim were in the courtroom for the sentencing last week.
They had also been at the original sentencing date the previous week, which was postponed at the last moment.
Ms Gourdeas and her loved ones had already expressed their frustration at the hearing last week, questioning why they weren’t told the sentencing was pushed back.
‘Every trip we have come here, we have funded ourselves,’ she said outside the court.
‘Your government hasn’t helped. Our government hasn’t helped. Nobody has helped us.
‘To be told today it has been adjourned without being notified prior – now what?
‘What do we do? Go home and not be able to afford to come back next week? Or wait in Bali and lose more money?’
On Monday, Ms Gourdeas’ 13-year-old son was asked to leave the courtroom before the sentences were read out.
He was seen lingering near the door while dressed in all black, like his mother.
