Bogota, Colombia: Adelaide woman Cassie Sainsbury's agreement to serve six years in jail after striking a plea deal with Colombian prosecutors on drug smuggling charges has hit a snag.
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Just 24 hours before Sainsbury's hearing, that legal proceeding seemed a simple step on a potentially long legal journey.
Then came the announcement on Tuesday night Bogota time of a plea deal that could have seen Ms Sainsbury receive a much reduced sentence, down from a maximum of 30 years.
And for the first hour and a half of the hearing, it seemed like that path seemed assured.
But then came a section of the proceedings where the judge, Sergio Leon, talked to Cassie directly.
He asked her if she was threatened and she said "si" (yes in Spanish).
She and her lawyer later admitted that they had no proof of this threat.
The procecutors then stated that the threat had not been part of of their negotiation discussions.
A new hearing has been set for August 9.
The 22-year-old had been facing at least 20 years behind bars but has agreed to reveal the identities of others involved in the cocaine ring she was working with in return for the lighter sentence.
Sainsbury was caught at Bogota's international airport in April, trying to smuggle 5.8 kilograms of cocaine inside 18 separate packages of headphones.
She has been held in a Bogota prison since her arrest, with her case attracting huge attention in Australia.
Her mother Lisa Evans and fiance Scott Broadbridge were in Bogota to support her during the sentencing hearing on Thursday morning Australian time.
Sainsbury's sister on Wednesday told Channel 7 in Adelaide the plea deal was the best outcome they could have hoped for.
But Kahla Sainsbury said her sister's life would never be the same, even after just a few years in prison.
"I don't think there's much she can do when she comes back home. It's going to be hard for her to get a job. It's going to be hard for her to do anything," she said.
"Because she's going to be labelled as 'Cocaine Cassie'."
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the case served as another warning to Australians travelling overseas.
"People need to abide by the laws of that country. If not, they will face serious consequences," he told Seven on Thursday.
The government provided consular assistance to Sainsbury but did not fund her legal case, Mr Dutton said.
with AAP