Murder appeal delay for East Coast couple Noelene June Jordan and Cedric Harper Jordan

The murder appeals of an East Coast couple found guilty of killing their ex-son-in-law, and sentenced to serve more than two decades behind bars, have been delayed in the Supreme Court.

Cedric Harper Jordan and Noelene June Jordan (red jacket) leave the Supreme Court of Tasmania in Launceston on day one of their trial over the alleged murder of Shane Barker at Campbell Town in 2009. Picture: Patrick Gee

The murder appeals of an East Coast couple found guilty of killing their ex-son-in-law, and sentenced to serve more than two decades behind bars, have been delayed in the Supreme Court of Tasmania.

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

Cedric Harper Jordan, outside the Supreme Court in Launceston in 2023. Picture: Alex Treacy

They were both ordered to serve 22 years in jail, with a non-parole period of 12 years.

On Monday afternoon, the Jordans appeared in court via videolink before Chief Justice Alan Blow, for a directions hearing into notices of appeal the pair filed against their convictions in July last year.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Daryl Coates SC, told Chief Justice Blow that despite receiving submissions from lawyers for both accused, the appeal books did not yet contain a number of important transcripts, including of interviews police conducted with the Jordans, and of tapped phone conversations.

Other information, including a jury memo during the trail, was also absent from the appeal book, Mr Coates said.

Launceston-based defence counsel, Fran McCracken, told the court that both the formatting and sheer volume of the trial transcripts had made their collation an unwieldy task.

Chief Justice Blow asked whether the DPP could be of assistance in the matter, to which Mr Coates agreed.

His Honour said while the Jordans’ appeal had been on track to be heard in the Supreme Court sitting fortnight beginning at the end of this month, it was obvious that timing was no longer possible.

“It would be unrealistic of me to give any directions this afternoon fixing timetables,” the Chief Justice told counsel.

“What should happen is that this should go back to Justice Estcourt for further case management when he is back from leave on 30 September.”

Chief Justice Blow directed that representatives of the parties liaise for the purpose of finalising the appeal books, and that there be a further directions hearing held not before the last day of September.

Last June, after hearing 10 weeks of evidence, a Launceston jury found the Jordans guilty of shooting to death their daughter’s ex-husband 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’ lie about their whereabouts on the night of the killing – claiming to have been in Swansea, or on the road KFC Kings Meadows – revealed anxiety, rather than a guilty mindset.

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