Cedric and Noelene Jordan: husband and wife murder appeal hearing set down for next March

The murder appeals of an East Coast couple sentenced to more than 20 years in jail for killing their ex-son-in-law — Shane Barker — will be heard early next year. The details.

Swansea murder accused Noelene June Jordan, 68. Picture: Alex Treacy

The murder appeals of an East Coast couple sentenced to more than 20 years in jail for killing their ex-son-in-law will be heard early next year.

Swansea husband and wife Cedric Harper Jordan, 72, and Noelene June Jordan, 70, were last June convicted of the 2009 shooting murder of 36-year-old Campbell Town man, Shane Geoffrey Barker.

The Jordans were both ordered to serve 22 years’ prison, with a non-parole period of 12 years.

On Tuesday afternoon, the couple appeared in the dock before Justice Stephen Estcourt in Hobart for a directions hearing into notices of appeal they filed against their convictions last July.

Counsel for the Jordans told the court the estimated length of the appeals was one day, while Director of Public Prosecutions, Daryl Coates SC, suggested Justice Estcourt allocate two days for all the evidence to be heard.

Cedric Harper Jordan and Noelene June Jordan (red jacket). Picture: Patrick Gee

Justice Estcourt set down Monday March 3 and Tuesday March 4 for the appeal hearing.

The court heard that Launceston-based defence counsel, Fran McCracken, would be representing Noelene Jordan at the appeal, while Cedric Jordan’s bid for freedom will be led by Patrick Wilson.

The State of Tasmania will be represented at the hearing by Mr Coates and prosecutor Jack Shapiro.

Last June, after hearing 10 weeks of evidence, a Launceston jury found the Jordans guilty of shooting to death their daughter’s ex-husband outside his Campbell Town home in August 2009.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that the defendants had been motivated to kill by a hatred of Mr Barker, which stemmed from allegations he had raped their daughter and sexually abused their granddaughter.

The Jordans’ defence lawyers told the jury that their clients’ lies about their whereabouts on the night of the killing – claiming to have been in Swansea, or on a long-range KFC run to Kings Meadows – revealed anxiety, rather than a guilty mindset.

The weapon used to kill Mr Barker has never been found.

Originally published as Cedric and Noelene Jordan: husband and wife murder appeal hearing set down for next March