Three Australian men convicted of assassinating a Melbourne father-of-six in a gangland-style shooting in Bali have lodged an appeal in Indonesia's highest court after their jail sentences were increased. Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, Mevlut Coskun, 22, and Paea I Middlemore Tupou, 27, were sentenced last month for the death of Zivan Radmanovic, 32, at a luxury villa in Munggu in June last year.
Following a six-month trial in Denpasar District Court, Jenson was initially jailed for 12 years for his role in the murder. The actual shooting was carried out by Coskun and Tupou, who both avoided the death penalty and received 16-year sentences. However, prosecutors appealed to the Bali High Court, which earlier this month increased Jenson's sentence by an additional five years, while Coskun and Tupou each had their sentences extended by two years.
Jenson's legal team has now appealed to the Indonesian Supreme Court, arguing that the High Court decision 'appears to contain multiple serious errors.' His lawyer, Katharina Nutz, alleged that the judgment copied and pasted 'arguments, statements, and reasoning from another defendant's case' and portrayed Jenson 'as if he came to Indonesia as a paid professional killer.' She stated, '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.'
Coskun and Tupou are also expected to lodge appeals, with their lawyer scheduled to file a response on Tuesday. Their lawyer, Rahul Singh, claimed the High Court decision contains formal and material defects, asserting, 'There is no logical legal reason for the increase of their sentences.' Nutz also alleged that 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,' calling it a fundamental problem that violates their right to know the exact accusation they must defend against.
The trio remain in Indonesia's notorious Kerobokan prison, where Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby and members of the Bali Nine also served time. Jenson organized the logistics of the trip, including accommodation, car hires, and scooter rentals, in the months before the attack, which also left another man injured.
The men testified in court that they were hired to collect a debt from another man staying at the villa, Sanar Ghanim, but mistakenly shot Radmanovic after breaking 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 victims had links to Melbourne's underworld.
Radmanovic had been holidaying in Bali with his wife, Jazmyn Gourdeas, to celebrate her 30th birthday. She hid under a blanket during the horrific ordeal. Ms. Gourdeas and her family traveled to Bali last month for the initial sentencing, which had been delayed by a week. Emotions boiled over in the courtroom as Radmanovic's loved ones confronted his killers. Lawyers for his family acknowledged the High Court's decision to increase the sentences but still believed they were insufficient. 'A higher sentence would be better but they do appreciate the judicial system,' said Sary Latief.
