'Do the crime in Colombia, do the time in Colombia'
Australian diplomats are reportedly trying to convince Colombian authorities to let accused Adelaide drug mule Cassandra Sainsbury serve her jail sentence at an Australian prison, if found guilty of drug smuggling charges.
Her Colombian attorney Orlando Herran said diplomats are working on a deal to have the 22-year-old serve jail time in Australia if convicted, but the judge who put her behind bars has quashed the request, News Corp reported.
“The system is clear. Do the crime in Colombia, do the time in Colombia,” judge John Jairo Zambraro said via an interpreter.
The judge however acknowledged she was "too young to be caught up in something like this”.
The news comes a day after Ms Sainsbury's lawyer revealed his client was suffering psychologically inside Bogota's El Buen Pastor women's prison.
Mr Herran told the media he had serious concerns for Ms Sainsbury's mental health, and a psychologist has been visiting her.
“I can see she’s very difficult, she’s very affected, psychologically affected,” he said.
The lawyer also said the young woman was constantly in tears and saying she was “stupid” after 5.8 kilograms of cocaine was allegedly found hidden inside 18 headphone packages in her suitcase.
She reportedly told a Colombian lawyer she was tricked and given the headphones by a man she knew only by Angelo or Tom.
Ms Sainsbury's fiance Scott Broadbridge addressed the media on Friday saying he hoped to travel to Colombia soon to see her.
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"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," he said.
"I hope to get over there soon and I hope that we are able to prove her innocence.
"Cass is the delight of my life. I know that she is not involved in the drug trade.
"I know that she was not deliberately taking drugs or carrying drugs."
Ms Sainsbury's Australian lawyer Stephen Kenny is exploring the "full details of why she went to Colombia, how she got there and who paid for her ticket."
Mr Kenny said an issue of "some significance" was the name of the cleaning company the woman was said to be working for at the time of her arrest, which is something under investigation.