An Indonesian court handed down lengthy prison sentences to three Australian men who killed a fellow countryman in Bali. The defendants claimed they were hired by an unidentified person to intimidate someone over a debt, but the situation escalated to murder.
DENPASAR, Indonesia — Three Australian nationals received significant prison terms Monday from an Indonesian court for the murder of a compatriot on the resort island of Bali, following their claims that an anonymous individual paid them for the deadly attack.
The Denpasar District Court convicted Mevlut Coskun, Paea I Middlemore Tupou, and Darcy Jenson in the June killing of 32-year-old Melbourne resident Zivan Radmanovic. Another victim, 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, survived gunshot wounds and a beating during the same incident.
The court imposed 16-year prison terms on both Coskun, 22, and Tupou, 27, while sentencing Jenson, 24, to 12 years behind bars. Both Coskun and Tupou maintained the fatal shooting was accidental amid the confusion of that evening.
Radmanovic had traveled to Bali for his wife Jazmyn Gourdeas’ birthday celebration, accompanied by her sister and Ghanim, who was dating the sister. Medical examination revealed Radmanovic sustained three bullet wounds along with injuries from physical assault.
According to prosecutors, Jenson masterminded the assault while his co-defendants executed the plan. Authorities apprehended Jenson at Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta airport in June as he tried to flee Indonesia. International law enforcement agencies assisted in capturing Coskun and Tupou in Singapore and Cambodia respectively.
Throughout the October trial proceedings, all three defendants testified they accepted payment to travel to Bali and intimidate Ghanim into settling an outstanding debt. They claimed an unidentified Australian man made this arrangement but refused to reveal his identity, citing concerns for their families’ safety.
Law enforcement officials testified that the group took orders from a mysterious “Mr. X” whose true identity remains unknown. The judicial panel acknowledged the defendants acted in exchange for “a promised payment.”
The prosecution had requested 18-year sentences for both Coskun and Tupou, and 17 years for Jenson.
Although the three-judge panel acknowledged the defendants inflicted “deep trauma” on both victims’ families, Presiding Judge Wayan Suarta emphasized the men had clean criminal histories and cooperated fully during the investigation and court proceedings.
“They are still young and have the chance to improve themselves in the future,” he stated, explaining that the punishment “is not intended as revenge, nor to degrade their dignity, but as a preventive measure so similar acts do not occur again.”
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