London, May 1: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was sentenced to 50 weeks in jail by a British court for skipping bail. Assange was packed from Ecuador’s embassy to a London court on April 11, 2019, a move that seemed to divide people over the treatment meted out to the whistleblower. Julian Assange, Wikileaks Founder, Arrested at Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Assange also faces a court hearing on extradition to Washington. He is wanted in the US on charges of “conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.”

The judgment means that Julian Assange will have to spend the next one year in prison.

A judge at an earlier hearing said the 47-year-old hacker's offense "merits the maximum sentence," reported the AFP.

The Australian whistleblower had sought asylum in Ecuador London embassy in June 2012. He had done so to avoid extradition to Sweden, the country where he was wanted for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations.

He faces a separate legal fight against a US extradition request. American authorities have charged him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system. Assange was arrested on April 11, 2019, after Ecuador revoked his political asylum.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2019 05:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).