Assange is jailed at last (but he’s still smirking)
SMIRKING Julian Assange was slammed by a judge yesterday for costing taxpayers £16million while going into hiding at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
The WikiLeaks founder, who spent almost seven years as a fugitive after seeking political asylum, was jailed for more than 11 months for breaching his bail conditions.
A court heard the 47-year- old used his ‘privileged position to flout the law’ and expressed a ‘disdain for the law of this country.’ Assange was wanted by Sweden over allegations of sexual offences, including rape, but had refused to surrender to an extradition request granted in 2011.
Last month he was dramatically dragged out of the embassy by police and arrested, after the Ecuadorians revoked his asylum.
At Southwark Crown Court, Assange’s defence argued his time at the embassy had been akin to prison so his sentence should be reduced. But Judge Deborah Taylor disagreed, saying it was hard to think of a more severe example of this type of offence.
In a bid to receive a shorter sentence, Assange handwrote a letter to the court, which was read out by his lawyer, in which he apologised to ‘ those who consider I have disrespected them by the way I have pursued my case’. He added: with which terrifying neither ‘I found circumstances I myself nor those struggling from for whom I sought advice could work out any remedy.’
His 50-week sentence was just short of the one-year maximum. Assange defiantly raised his fist to a large group of supporters as he was led to the cells. The group chanted ‘shame on you’ at the judge from the gallery. Defending, Mark Summers QC said Assange had been ‘gripped’ by fears his extradition to Sweden could lead to rendition to America, where he could face the death penalty. Assange entered the embassy on June 19 2012 while under intense scrutiny over the leaks of classified US diplomatic cables on his whistleblowing website. But Judge Taylor said Assange had ‘limited mitigation’ for breaching bail and any arguments for a lesser sentence were ‘wholly unrealistic given the circumstances’. Off to jail: He salutes on leaving She said: ‘ You deliberately put yourself out of reach, exploiting your privileged position to flout the law and advertise internationally your disdain for the law of this country. Your continued residence necessitated expenditure of £16million of taxpayers’ money. It is essential that nobody is above or beyond the reach of the law.’
Assange stood in the dock in a blue jacket, and had trimmed his hair and beard since looking wild and dishevelled when dragged out of the embassy last month.
He will face a hearing about his potential extradition today. WikiLeaks called yesterday’s sentence ‘vindictive’.