WikiLeaks founder sentenced to 50 weeks' jail
LONDON WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was sentenced to 50 weeks in jail by a London court yesterday for skipping bail to enter the Ecuadorean embassy where he was holed up for almost seven years until police dragged him out last month.
Judge Deborah Taylor read out the sentence as Assange, in a black jacket and grey sweatshirt, looked on.
Judge Taylor said Assange had exploited his privileged position to flout the law and express his disdain for British justice.
He was convicted last month of skipping bail in June 2012 after an extradition order to Sweden over an allegation of rape.
The maximum sentence was a year in jail.
"You remained there for nearly seven years, exploiting your privileged position to flout the law and advertise internationally your disdain for the law of this country," the judge said at Southwark Crown Court.
She said that it had cost taxpayers 16 million pounds (S$28 million) to ensure that Assange was arrested when he left the embassy.
Assange supporters chanted "shame on you" as the judge read out the verdict. At the hearing in London, Assange apologised for any disrespect he may have shown.
"I apologise unreservedly to those who consider that I have disrespected them by the way I have pursued my case. This is not what I wanted or intended," Assange said in a letter read out by his lawyer, Mr Mark Summers. - REUTERS
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