Cassie Sainsbury’s fiance Scott Broadbridge speaks of his fears for her wellbeing
THE fiance of accused Adelaide drug mule Cassie Sainsbury held in Colombia has broken his silence — and told of his grave fears for her wellbeing.
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THE fiance of accused Adelaide drug mule Cassie Sainsbury has broken his silence — and told of his grave fears for her wellbeing.
“We’re worried for her future ... she’s not doing great,” Scott Broadbridge said. “I’m just scared for her.”
The aspiring model and fitness trainer was arrested at an airport in Colombia with 5.8kg of cocaine in her luggage.
At his home in Moana, Scott Broadbridge said: “I love Cassie and we’re doing everything we can to get her out.”
Ms Sainsbury, 22, is languishing in Bogota’s El Buen Pastor women’s jail after she was busted with 5.8kg of cocaine in her luggage as she was about to fly out of Colombia.
Mr Broadbridge said that despite the collapse of her gym, personal trainer Ms Sainsbury was debt-free when she jetted overseas on the ill-fated trip.
“There absolutely were no debts. She ran a business and it didn’t work out. She’s just an ordinary girl with aspirations,” he said. “I’m just scared for her and don’t want to jeopardise anything as it’s early stages. We’re worried for her future, she’s not doing great.”
Mr Broadbridge will comment further today at a press conference with the lawyer he enlisted to help Ms Sainsbury.
Steven Kenny acted for accused terrorist and Guantánamo Bay detainee David Hicks.
But his decision to “break his silence” drew criticism from members of Ms Sainsbury’s family, who have been told not to comment by her Colombian lawyer.
Sister Khala Sainsbury said the truth would come out soon. “It has gone too far,” she said of rumours coming out of Yorketown, on Yorke Peninsula.
The allegations first emerged when a woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Advertiser Ms Sainsbury left the Yorke Peninsula owing several people money.
Others have backed the claims. But the landlord of the Yorketown gym previously used by Ms Sainsbury, and the father of her ex-boyfriend, say she had no debts with them.
Nick Paphitis told The Advertiser on Thursday that Ms Sainsbury had paid all her rent before she moved to Adelaide.
“She paid every cent she owed me and that’s all I’m prepared to say,” he said.
Claims she owed ex-boyfriend Luke Tape money borrowed to help set up Yorke’s Gym were rejected by his father, Richard.
“Cassie doesn’t owe Luke any money,” he said.
“He didn’t pay for her gym equipment. We don’t know about any of her other financial affairs.”
Ms Sainsbury posted a series of cryptic social media comments in the lead-up to her ill-fated world trip, which culminated in her arrest at Colombia’s biggest airport last month.
It has already been reported that the Adelaide woman made a series of international trips to and from Australia in the six months preceding her journey to South America.
But early this year, an opportunity apparently arose that seemed too good for the former personal trainer to pass up.
In a strangely prophetic Instagram post, Ms Sainsbury appears to have been counting down the days until a life-changing event.
The now deleted January 10 post read: “50 days until I make the biggest move I’ve yet to do ... 50 days until everything changes.”
She added the following hashtags: #newbeginnings #newyearnewme #2k17 #dreamjob #bondiliving #life #change #love #50daysleft #goodthingsarecoming.
On January 24, she wrote another post, which has also since been deleted, which read: “Moving interstate driving me cray cray! #save me! Not long before the big move now, super excited and can’t wait to leave so much baggage behind.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said Australian consular staff were continuing to provide assistance to Ms Sainsbury, but did not have an embassy in Bogota and the assistance was being organised “from outside Colombia”.
Originally published as Cassie Sainsbury’s fiance Scott Broadbridge speaks of his fears for her wellbeing