Accused drug mule Cassie Sainbury's uncle says 'she was aware of what she was doing'
The uncle of accused drug smuggler Cassandra Sainsbury has raised serious doubts about the "mystery couple" she claims sent her to Colombia on a working holiday.
Cassie said she began working for a cleaning company last year owned by her uncle, Neil Sainsbury.
Neil has flatly denied his niece's story, telling Seven's Sunday Night, "I believe that she was aware of what she was doing."
When asked about once owning the cleaning business for which his niece claimed she worked for he said "that's a claim that I categorically deny".
"I've never owned a cleaning business, I've never owned any business."
According to Cassie's story, her uncle sold the company to a mystery couple who continued to employ her.
In April the couple sent her overseas to meet with international clients.
Her father Stuart also revealed his daughter Cassie and fiancé Scott had planned the visit Colombia as early as January this year, adding further doubt to the notion the trip was a last-minute ventures at the behest of the mysterious DolShols.
"I said to her whether she had any idea of what sort of country that was… don't go."
"It was simple, that is exactly what I said to her, 'don't be stupid.'
"Now I thought with the big blow up I had with Cassie over that, and I saw her after that and she said 'we're not going Dad.'"
Even to the detriment of his niece, Neil, a former military investigator, said the bizarre claim was an insult to his character.
"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," he said.
"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."
Uncle 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.
Cassie's father Stuart held a similar point of view, telling Sunday Night the family needed "to find out what's going on" with his daughter's mystery employers.
"If she is working for someone, lets find out who she is working for," he said.
"If she is not, she's doing it on her own."
Cassie's fiancé Scott Broadbridge revealed to Sunday Night 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.
Scott told Sunday Night he was certain the couple were real and confirmed he saw payments they made to his now-incarcerated fiancé's bank account.
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.
Despite this, Cassie's uncle holds doubts about her story.
“I certainly don't believe it’s naivety. I believe that she was aware of what she was doing,” Neil said.
Lawyers for Ms Sainsbury tried to stop the Sunday Night interviews from being shown, but late Sunday afternoon their injunction application made to the Supreme Court was dismissed.
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," he said.
"I am willing to be there through the end and I have told her that and that’s how I feel."
