Accused drug mule Cassie Sainbury's uncle says 'she knew what she was doing'
The uncle of accused drug smuggler Cassandra Sainsbury has rejected her story of the ‘mystery couple’ she claims sent her to Colombia on a working holiday.
The 22-year-old from South Australia said she began working for a cleaning company last year owned by her uncle, Neil Sainsbury.
Neil has flatly denied his niece's story, expressing his doubts in an exclusive interview with Sunday Night.
“I just don't believe that she was naive at all. I think perhaps she may have had knowledge of what she was doing, complete knowledge,” Neil said.
According to Cassie’s story, Neil sold the company to a mystery couple who continued to employ her.
In April, the couple sent her overseas to meet with international clients.
“That's a claim that I categorically deny,” Neil said. “I've never owned a cleaning business, I've never owned any business.”
“I think it needs to be made perfectly clear that my niece Cassie has never been employed by me, has never been employed by anybody I know and like I said, I've never owned a business whatsoever.”
Neil, a former military investigator, said the bizarre claim was an insult to his character.
“They can put ‘uncle Neil’ to the forefront as much as they want, but ‘Uncle Neil’ served for this country… and I was happy to have people arrested or discharged from the defence force for any form of illicit or illegal drugs.”
Neil’s clarification puts large holes in Cassie’s explanation as to how 5.8 kilograms of cocaine ended up in her luggage on April 12 at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota.
In the explosive Sunday Night investigation, Cassie’s fiancé, Scott Broadbridge, revealed the identities of her mystery employers as June and Karen Dolshols.
“But whether that’s their real name… All I know is that’s the names that they gave Cassie,” he said.
“There’s no doubt in your mind that the couple themselves existed?” Denham asked Scott.
“Correct, yes,” he replied.
“You saw the payments from them?”
“Yes, yeah.”
“Payments to her bank account?”
“Yeah.”
In startling new revelations, it is alleged Cassie spent five months last year working as a fly-in fly-out sex worker in a western Sydney brothel.
The new claims suggest the payments were for her work at Club 220 Gentlemen’s Club, near Penrith.
During her short stay in Colombia, Cassie purchased 18 pairs of headphones, which she said were intended to be gifts for her bridal party. Inside each box, a package of cocaine was concealed.
“I don’t know if the business she worked for set her up or it was directly straight from Colombia, but I believe she was set up as a drug mule without her knowledge,” Scott said.
But even Cassie’s father doubts her story.
“I can’t sit here and lie and say, innocent, guilty… there’s just 68 different stories. I would like for the truth to come out,” Stuart Sainsbury said.
Cassie and Scott had planned to be married in February next year, but regardless of what happens at her upcoming trial, Scott has vowed to stand by her.
“I’ll wait like she would do the same for me. I love her and I am not just saying - I think a lot of this is showing how much I truly do. I am willing to be there through the end and I have told her that and that’s how I feel.”
