Journalist’s spirited defence of ‘Cocaine Cassie’ report

A Channel 9 reporter has defended the network’s story which revealed accused drug mule Cassie Sainsbury worked at a Sydney brothel.

The revelation sparked a heated reaction, with many questioning what relevance it had with Ms Sainsbury’s case.

She’s accused of trying to smuggle more than six kilograms of cocaine out of Colombia.

Speaking with Neil Mitchell from Colombia, Channel 9’s Seb Costello said those being critical of the story had missed the point.

“I want to make it clear that the thrust of the 9 News story last night was by no means Cassie worked in a brothel, therefore she’s a bad person – the point of the story goes to Cassie’s honesty,” Costello explained on 3AW.

“We heard she was a personal trainer – that’s what she was saying – we heard she worked in a cleaning business (but) we were able to confirm she was in fact working in this brothel.

“And I guess almost more significantly, if you saw the interview with a former colleague of Cassie’s at the brothel, the most poignant part for me was when she said as Cassie was leaving the brothel, she told all her colleagues her mother had died of MS and asked them all for money to pay for the funeral.

“Now, of course, her mother is very much alive.”

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