A judge had earlier granted Assange conditional bail, only for him to be told two hours later that he must remain behind bars in Wandsworth prison pending the appeal.
District judge Howard Riddle granted bail worth $378,000 but ordered that Assange wear an electronic tag, abide by a curfew and live at the country estate of a supporter. The 39-year-old Australian, who denies the charges, gave a thumbs-up to the packed courtroom as the decision was read out, although his release was postponed for several hours to allow prosecutors to decide whether to appeal.
In a chaotic 30 minutes outside the court, Assange’s lawyer Mark Stephens had earlier wrongly told reporters that Sweden would not appeal the granting of bail for the Australian who founded the whistle-blowing website.
Assange, 39, is wanted in Sweden over claims he sexually assaulted two women, claims that his lawyer Geoffrey Robertson described in court as “not serious”.
Lawyer Gemma Lindfield told City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court that Swedish prosecutors intended to challenge a bail order issued earlier in the day. The appeal hearing is expected to take place within 48 hours.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2010.
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