The prosecution had sought an 18-year sentence for Mevlut Coskun and Paea-i-Middlemore Tupou, two Australian nationals convicted in the death of fellow Australian Zivan Radmanovic. A Bali court, however, handed both men 16 years in prison, falling short of the prosecution's demand and disappointing the victim's family.
The defendants were charged in connection with the shooting at Villa Casa Santisya in Munggu, Badung, on June 14, 2025. The attack resulted in the death of Zivan Radmanovic and serious injuries to Sanar Ghanim, both Australian citizens.
For legal context: in Indonesian law, a charge of premeditated murder carries a maximum penalty of death, followed by life imprisonment.The three accused violated article 340 of Indonesia's criminal code, which carries a maximum penalty of capital punishment, followed by life imprisonment. That the court imposed a fixed term rather than one of those more severe penalties reflects the court's assessment of the circumstances, though details of the judges' reasoning were not disclosed.
Tupou addressed the court directly, offering an apology to Radmanovic's family. "I wholeheartestly apologize for the suffering I have caused due to the loss of beloved Zivan," he said. Yet remorse, formal or otherwise, did not persuade the judges to accept the prosecutors' request.
The family's reaction reveals the gap between what Indonesian law allows and what victims seek.The family of slain Australian Zivan Radmanovic called for a harsher sentence, framing the case as a test of Indonesia's justice system and international security. Their disappointment signals an important tension in criminal justice: even when a court convicts defendants on the most serious charges, victims' families may view the sentence as insufficient.
Despite their profound disagreement with the prosecution's sentencing demands, the Radmanovic family has chosen a path of respectful engagement with the Indonesian legal process, remaining "cooperative and respect the judicial proceedings in Indonesia." Their planned physical attendance at the Denpasar District Court was ultimately deemed too risky.
A third defendant, Darcy Francesco Jenson, faced separate proceedings for his alleged logistical role in the crime.Prosecutors sought a 17-year sentence for the alleged mastermind, Darcy Francesco Jenson.
The sentences mark the culmination of a case that exposed gaps in Bali's expatriate security and raised questions about foreign crime networks operating in Indonesia.Gun crime on the island of Bali and wider Indonesia is rare, and the archipelago nation has strict laws for illegal gun possession. What remains unresolved is the motive for the killing itself; police have declined to disclose why the three men targeted Radmanovic.