A Colombian judge presiding over accused drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury’s case has spoken out.
Judge John Jairo Zambrano, who sent the Australian-native to jail ahead of her trial, told Nine News she was “too young to be caught up in something like this”.
“What caught my eye was her age. She was 22, too young to be caught up in something like this,” he said.
Zambrano also disputed earlier claims from Cassie’s lawyer, Orlando Herran, that she would be allowed to serve a potential jail sentence in Australia.
“The system is clear – do the crime in Colombia, do the time in Colombia,” he said.
In her first court appearance, Cassie continued to maintain her innocence.
“My name is Cassandra Leigh Sainsbury. I’m an Australian, I was staying at Hotel Interbogota,” she can be heard saying in the court recording obtained by Nine News
She added: “I do not accept the charges filed by the prosecutor.”
Pictured are the 18 bags of cocaine found concealed within headphones in Cassie’s luggage. Image via 7 News.
It comes as the manager of the Bogota hotel where Cassie spent her final night of freedom says she rarely left her room.
Ingrid Hernandez said Cassie drew attention from hotel staff as she arrived without a reservation and paid for her accommodation only two days at a time.
“She was alone most of the time in her room. I remember once she went and brought McDonalds back to eat,” she said.
Ms Hernandez has also described the man who is accused of duping Cassie into packing 5.8kgs of cocaine into her suitcase, under the belief the package contained headphones for her bridal party.
“Normal height, normal build. He could have been in his late 20s, 30s. He had short brown gelled hair,” she said.
She added that the well-dressed Columbian male was Cassie’s only visitor at the $50 a night lodging.
The last picture of Cassie before her arrest shows her interact with staff at the Bogota hotel. (Image via 7 News)
Cassie, who worked as a personal trainer in Adelaide and is a former volunteer firefighter, was discovered with 5.8kgs of cocaine packed into her suitcase as she tried to fly home to Australia on April 11 from El Dorado International Airport.
She is said to be “scared” and cries a lot as she remains in the notoriously overcrowded El Buen Pastor Prison, home to more than 50,000 criminals.
Speaking of her concerns, Cassie’s fiancé, Scott Broadbridge, said in press conference: “She is concerned about the conditions of the jail which are not ideal, and it is very difficult for her not knowing anyone in the country.”
Cassie was planning a wedding next February to her fiancé Scott Broadbridge, 23.
“Cass is a delight of my life, I know that she is not involved in the drug trade and know that she was not deliberately taking drugs or carrying drugs anywhere.”
He added: “It is extremely stressful for her but we are able to talk every day and that is a great comfort to both of us.”
If she maintains her innocence, she faces a sentence of up to 20 years in a Colombian jail.
