Judge to consider reducing Cocaine Cassie’s jail term for drug smuggling in Colombia

A COLOMBIAN judge will consider publicly undisclosed evidence to determine whether Adelaide drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury is eligible for a reduced prison sentence.

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• READ BELOW: Timeline of Cassandra Sainsbury’s case

A COLOMBIAN judge will consider publicly undisclosed evidence to determine whether Adelaide drug smuggler Cassandra Sainsbury is eligible for a reduced prison sentence.

It comes as Sainsbury’s mother, Lisa Evans, travels to Bogota, where she says her daughter — dubbed “Cocaine Cassie” — is coping “the best she can” in El Buen Pastor prison.

Sainsbury was jailed for six years and fined $130,000, in a plea deal, after trying to smuggle almost 6kg of cocaine out of Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport on April 12 last year.

She could be free by April 2020 with good behaviour and time already served but an upcoming court hearing is expected to determine if she qualifies for early release.

Ms Evans told The Advertiser the hearing, which Sainsbury, 22, would not be attending, would finalise her case and establish “if she is eligible for any remissions”.

Sainsbury’s Colombian lawyer Orlando Herran said a judge would set a date for the hearing this month.

Ms Evans, who flew to Colombia on Tuesday with husband Nick Adams, said she was “hopeful” the former personal trainer would be freed early.

“We would love her to be released earlier. It will be entirely up to the judge,” she said.

Ms Evans said the judge would take into consideration evidence that had been presented during two previous hearings that were closed to the public.

However, she would not specify the details of the evidence because she did not want to jeopardise the case.

Ms Evans said her daughter “just wants people not to believe everything they hear”.

Her comments followed a public message she posted to Facebook on Tuesday updating interested people about how Sainsbury was coping in prison.

“She is making out the best she can,” she said in the post, which has since been deleted.

“Her health is average to say the least. She fights every day. We are all fighting every day but she is strong.”

Ms Evans said Sainsbury, who now spoke fluent Spanish, spent her days teaching other inmates English.

Cassie Sainsbury pictured on sentencing day.

She said she wrote the post on the Cassie Sainsbury Discussionpage because “my daughter asked me to”.

She also said information she had received from prosecutors would “prove a lot of things” but she was unable to divulge details before the case was finalised.

“I would love to tell you all the truth,” she wrote.

Responding to a question from member of the discussion group about whether she had profited from her daughter’s predicament, she wrote: “If you saying flights and accommodation to see my daughter is profiting, then yes.”

“I only care about seeing my daughter, just like a lot of you would if you were in my situation,” she wrote.

“I have not — I repeat — have not received money like you all think.”

Ms Evans planned to stay in Bogota for two months with Mr Adams and visit Sainsbury in jail several times.

“Right or wrong I will support her,” she wrote on the Facebook page.

“I feel no shame. I feel love for my girl. That’s it. Simple.”

TIMELINE OF CASSIE SAINSBURY’S CASE

South Australian Cassie Sainsbury was caught with 5.8 kilograms of cocaine at Colombia’s El Dorado Airport in April 2017. Here’s a snapshot of what happened next.

APRIL

3rd — The Adelaide woman arrives in Colombia reportedly on an eight-day working holiday to promote her personal training.

12th — The 22-year-old is caught moments before she reaches Gate 32 at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport on her way to board a flight back to Australia.

Colombian narcotics police find 5.8 kilograms of cocaine stuffed into 18 bags in headphones hidden in Sainsbury’s luggage, after receiving a tip-off from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

She is arrested and is detained at El Buen Pastor jail in Bogota — a prison notorious for its overcrowding and annual beauty pageants.

Authorities rush Sainsbury through a hearing and she is denied bail.

MAY

15th — Receives her first visit from fiance Scott Broadbridge, her mother Lisa Evans and sister Kahla Sainsbury in El Buen Pastor prison. They all believe Sainsbury was duped.

21st — Rivals 60 minutes and Sunday Night both broadcast stories about Sainsbury on the same night — one with her mother and sister, and the other with her fiance.

JULY

Agrees to reveal the identities of those involved in the drug smuggling ring in exchange for a sentence that could be reduced from 20 to six years.

Her Colombian lawyers express concerns the plea deal could put Cassie and her family’s lives at risk in South Australia if she reveals the identities of others involved in the drug cartel.

26th — Colombian judge Sergio Leon suspends a hearing on the plea deal after Cassie tells the court she only agreed to smuggle the cocaine under threat.

AUGUST

10th — The court rejects the plea deal Sainsbury struck with prosecutors. She now faces a full trial and the possibility of up to 30 years in jail if found guilty.

Cassandra Sainsbury attends a court hearing in Bogota, Colombia in August last year.

SEPTEMBER

24th — In an interview with 60 Minutes, Sainsbury says proof she’s innocent and her family’s lives were threatened is on her mobile phone, which she can’t unlock.

27th — Court date postponed because the Australian was not granted permission to leave the prison by Colombian prison authorities. Next hearing date set for October 20.

OCTOBER

20th — Both sides agree to a plea deal, which specifies a maximum six-year jail term. Judge retires to consider the deal and will announce a decision on November 1.

NOVEMBER

1st — Sainsbury is sentenced to six years behind bars and a $US90,000 fine after a judge rubberstamps the plea deal. She could be released in April 2020 with good behaviour and time already served. Her lawyer indicates they are likely to appeal the fine.