What happened to Julian Assange?

[scotia]

At the time he went into the embassy he wasn't facing extradition to the USA.

Yes - and I feel the need to strongly agree with this point made by johnhemming, lest we get mixed up in something that seems irrelevant to the original (seven year old) case. Sweden wished to extradite him to investigate a rape allegation. He jumped UK bail into the Ecuadorian embassy. He then stated that this was to avoid extradition from Sweden to the USA. At that time there was no US extradition warrant - and I can't imagine that Sweden were working secretly with the US to implement one (and the UK wasn't). Indeed Assange had applied for a work residence permit in Sweden and his request was denied.
Its all seems like smoke to avoid a rape investigation. I understand that a few more years in the embassy and he would have avoided the rape investigation on a statute of limitations. Apparently he can no longer be charged in Sweden for any of the less serious sexual molestation allegations.
Source:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assange_v ... _Authority

[Lootman]

his personality really shouldn't be the question at issue . . . his (alleged and observed) behaviour in Sweden and the Ecuadorian Embassy has lost him what might have been a lot of public sympathy.

There is a paradox therein. Yes, in theory his obnoxiousness should not matter in a court of law but, as you note, he has little public sympathy. And in a courtroom lawyers go to great lengths to convince a jury that their client is sympathetic and has "clean hands".

So it really does matter how a person looks and feels when judged by a jury of his peers. Hopefully his lawyers, if he can afford any, will clean him up good before his trial. Because that matters too, even if it shouldn't.

[johnhemming]

As soon as you start saying things that people believe are not true you tend to lose public sympathy.

He claimed that he went into the Embassy to avoid extradition from Sweden to the USA. That was clearly rubbish. He was always at a greater risk of extradition from the UK than Sweden.