Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder sentenced to 50 weeks in British jail

Assange was found guilty of breaching the Bail Act

Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder sentenced to 50 weeks in British jail Protesters outside the court where Julian Assange was produced, in London, on Wednesday | AP

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was sentenced by a London court on Wednesday to 50 weeks in jail for skipping bail. The 47-year-old was found guilty of breaching the Bail Act after his arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Assange broke bail to enter the Ecuadorean embassy almost seven years ago and last month he was dragged out of the embassy.

Assange faces United States federal conspiracy charges related to one of the biggest leaks of classified government information.

While announcing the sentence, Judge Deborah Taylor said Assange had exploited his privileged position to flout the law and express his disdain for British justice. "By hiding in the embassy you deliberately put yourself out of reach, while remaining in the UK," she said.

After hearing the sentence, Assange raised his fist in defiance to his supporters in the public gallery behind him. The supporters directed shouts of "shame on you" towards the court while raising their fists in solidarity with the Wikileaks founder.

The UK will now decide whether to extradite Assange to the US in response to allegations that he conspired with former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain classified documents.

If convicted, he may face up to five years in a US prison.