Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder remains in Ecuadorian embassy as court rules arrest warrant is still valid - as it happened
Judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court to make further ruling on Tuesday
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Julian Assange has lost the first round of a bid to have the arrest warrant against him in the UK dropped.
The Wikileaks founder's lawyer made an application to Westminster Magistrates' Court arguing it has "lost its purpose and its function" since investigations over sexual assault allegations were dropped in Sweden.
But senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot said she was "not persuaded the warrant should be withdrawn".
After hearing new arguments from Mr Assange's legal team on the public interest and his health, she reserved judgement on those submissions until Tuesday.
Mr Assange has been living inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for six years since the case was brought, over fears it could spark his extradition to the US.
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Mr Assange’s lawyers will be able to appeal against the court’s decision.
The Australian activist was on bail when he fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012, over fears a Swedish investigation could be used to extradite him to the US for Wikileaks’ activities.
But Sweden dropped its investigation into allegations of sexual offences in May 2017, causing a separate European Arrest Warrant to be scrapped.
At the time, the Metropolitan Police confirmed its officers were still required to arrest Mr Assange.
“Westminster Magistrates' Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Julian Assange following him failing to surrender to the court on the 29 June 2012,” a statement said.
“The Metropolitan Police Service is obliged to execute that warrant should he leave the embassy.”
As the Swedish investigation continued in December 2010, Mr Assange was jailed in Wandsworth Prison in isolation for 10 days and then put under house arrest for 550 days under powers granted by an international arrest warrant.
Scotland Yard stood down the 24/7 police presence outside the Ecuadorian embassy building in 2015 but pledged to make “every effort” to arrest Mr Assange if he left.
There had been controversy over the escalating cost of the exercise, which was believed to be over £12m.
Mr Assange's lawyers argue that his stay of over five years at the Ecuadorian embassy is adequate "if not severe" punishment for violating the Bail Act, which punishes absconding with up to six months in prison
Mr Assange's representative has told the court he suffers from depression and health difficulties stemming from living in a confined space.
Judge Arbuthnot has reserved judgement on the new arguments made by Mr Assange's legal team until Tuesday, when there will be a hearing from 2pm
Jennifer Robinson, Mr Assange’s lawyer, has been speaking outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court
"Today we finally had the opportunity to put before the court the background to this case and the long history to the injustice that has led him to remain inside the Ecuadorian embassy," she says.
Mr Assange remains willing to answer to British justice in relation to any argument about breach of bail but not at the expense of facing injustice in America.
"This case is, and has always been about the risk of extradition to the US and that risk remains real. Nobody can credibly deny that risk."
Ms Robinson says it is time for the British Government to provide assurance against Mr Assange being extradited "so that this untenable situation an end".
Unless that assurance is given and the UK stops insisting on neither confirming or denying the existence of that warrant, he is at risk of extradition and that is the risk he entered the embassy for in the very first place," she adds.
"He does know what happened here today and we’ll be awaiting a decision next week."