National Crime Authority bomber Domenic Perre is set to contest his conviction for the 1994 Adelaide attack.
Perre's case is listed before the SA Court of Appeal on Thursday, more than four months after he was jailed for life over the deadly blast.
The bearded 65-year-old had one arm in a sling and sat with his head down as Supreme Court Justice Kevin Nicholson in October sentenced him to life behind bars for the murder of Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and the attempted murder of lawyer Peter Wallis.
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With Perre already serving time for drug offences, Nicholson extended his existing non-parole period by 30 years and seven months.
"The murder of Geoffrey Bowen and the grievous harm caused to Peter Wallis was violent, barbaric, and ruthless," the judge said.
"Your conduct was brutish. That is totally devoid of any human sensibility.
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"It was not just premeditated but intricately devised and planned over a lengthy period of time and was executed in cold blood."
Nicholson said the attack struck at the heart of the criminal justice system and the targeted murder of a serving police officer, acting in the course of his duty, could not be tolerated.
Bowen died at the scene from extensive injuries, including the loss of his left arm, when the parcel bomb built and sent by Perre exploded in his office.
Wallis, who was standing nearby, lost an eye and suffered severe burns in the blast.
He died in 2018.
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Prosecutors argued the bombing was a personal attack on Bowen stemming from the seizure of a multi-million dollar cannabis crop in the Northern Territory in August 1993.
But in closing submissions, defence counsel Gilbert Aitken said SA detectives had tunnel vision during the entire 27-year investigation and believed only Perre had the motive to make and send the bomb.
"In short, in the eyes of police, all roads didn't lead to Rome but led to Perre," Aitken said.
Perre will be in his mid-90s before becoming eligible for parole and considering his existing health issues, including a heart condition and diabetes, will likely die in prison.
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