Assange faces a year in embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could remain holed up inside Ecuador’s embassy in London for a year, he has predicted.

The 41-year-old Australian, who faces arrest and extradition to Sweden over alleged sexual offences if he sets foot outside the building in Knightsbridge, insisted that he believes the case against him will be dropped.

In a TV interview broadcast in Ecuador, Assange said he believed it would take between “six and 12 months” for the issue to be resolved. “The Swedish government could drop the case.

“I think this is the most likely scenario,” he added.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the situation “may go on for a long time”.