Family of Cassie Sainsbury blasts allegations she owed money
THE family of accused Adelaide drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury has blasted allegations that she left the Yorke Peninsula while owing money.
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THE family of accused Adelaide drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury has blasted allegations that she left the Yorke Peninsula while owing money.
The family continues to maintain their silence under the orders of Ms Sainsbury’s lawyer after the 22-year-old was caught with 5.8kg of cocaine while trying to board a flight from Bogota to London on April 11.
Khala Sainsbury said the truth would come out soon.
“It has gone too far,” she said of the rumours coming out of Yorketown.
Allegations first emerged when a woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Advertiser Cassie left the Yorke Peninsula owing several people money.
Others have also backed the claims.
But the landlord of the Yorketown gym previously owned by Ms Sainsbury, as well as the father of her ex-boyfriend, both say she had no outstanding debts with them.
Nick Paphitis told The Advertiser on Thursday that Ms Sainsbury had paid all her rent before she left the Yorke Peninsula and moved to Adelaide.
“She paid every cent she owed me and that’s all I’m prepared to say,” he said.
Allegations she owed ex-boyfriend Luke Tape money before skipping town were also rejected by the man’s father.
She reportedly borrowed cash to help set up her now-closed Yorketown gym, Yorke’s Gym.
However, Luke’s father Richie Tape has told The Advertiser the reports were not true.
“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’s fiance, Scott Broadbridge, is set to make a statement alongside lawyers in the city on Friday.
Mr Broadbridge will make the statement alongside Adelaide lawyer Stephen Kenny, who is now acting on behalf of Ms Sainsbury.
“Stephen Kenny ... has been instructed by Ms Cassandra Sainsbury via her fiance Scott Broadbridge to provide assistance to her in relation to her current situation in Colombia,” Mr Kenny’s law firm, Camatta Lempens Pty Ltd, said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier, Ms Sainsbury’s Colombia-based lawyer said she is facing a catch-22, and is in a race against time to prove her innocence.
Speaking to FIVEaa, Orlando Herran said she has not yet decided how she will plead.
“Cassandra says that a person she knew only by one name, and that name was Angelo or Tom, had offered to get her these headphones at a very cheap price and he came to the airport and put them in the bag,” David Penberthy said, translating an earlier interview with Mr Herran.
“I also believe her version of the events ... however it is here that we have a very grave problem.”
The problem, he said, is a lack of proof that Ms Sainsbury was tricked, or that the man even exists.
Mr Herran said if Ms Sainsbury maintains her innocence and loses the case she faces up to 20 years in prison.
But there are other options available to the judge.
“It is possible to do a deal with the Colombian DA so that the DA takes into consideration that she is young, never done anything wrong before, that what she’s accused of doing is not in her nature,” Mr Penberthy translated.
“If the DA shows a bit of mercy she could get a sentence as low as four years.”
The sentence could be reduced further if Ms Sainsbury agrees to undertake social work or studies while in prison.
Ms Sainsbury may also receive a lighter sentence depending on the purity of the purity of the cocaine found in her possession.