Julian Assange arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on April 12, where he was quickly found guilty of breaching bail and labelled by the judge a “narcissist…who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest”.
The Wiki-Leaks co-founder was charged with skipping bail in 2012 while charged with sexual assault in Sweden. Unable to flee the UK, which was ready to extradite him to Sweden to face the charges, Assange has been confined to the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years. Ecuador does not have any extradition agreements with the UK or Sweden.
But last night Assange was arrested by UK police at the embassy, charged, and, within hours, found guilty in court.
Assange’s defence was that he couldn’t get a fair trial in British courts because the UK was attempting to deliver him to the US, where he is wanted for stealing and publishing military and diplomatic secrets online. Assange said he was not guilty of failing to surrender to court in 2012, and his lawyer told the court he would not be giving evidence.
“His assertion that he has not had a fair hearing is laughable,” Justice Snow said. “And his behaviour is that of a narcissist who cannot get past his own self-interest.”
Relations between Assange and the Ecuadorian embassy have been strained recently, and the police were invited to the embassy by Ecuadorian officials. Assange’s Ecuadorian citizenship has also been revoked.
The US wants Assange brought back to face charges of conspiracy to leak classified military data with Chelsea Manning, a charge that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
