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The BBC, The Telegraph and The Independent are all reporting that Assange now faces arrest for breach of bail conditions, having sought refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy. The Independent states that:

“The High Court had granted the 40 year-old Australian £200,000 bail on the condition he stayed at a named address between the hours of 10pm and 8am, but the Metropolitan Police confirmed they were notified at 10.20pm last night that he had broken this agreement. A police spokeswoman said: “He is now subject to arrest under the Bail Act for breach of these conditions . . . Officers are aware of his location at the Ecuador Embassy in Hans Crescent, London.”

Assange’s bail is largely funded by donations from supporters, who stand to lose any money pledged as surety for Assange not breaching his bail conditions. The Telegraph reports that Vaughan Smith, who housed the WikiLeaks founder at his 10-bedroom Ellingham Hall for more than a year said:

“I was surprised. I hadn’t spoken to him for two weeks. If somebody in Britain feels the need to walk into an embassy and claim asylum I think we as a society have to ask ourselves some questions. Julian is a man I’ve never seen panic. He is courageous and brave. He believes in what he is doing and he should be credited for that. I’m trying not to think about whether I will or will not lose any money. I hope I won’t. But first and foremost Julian is a friend. If I were to lose money it would impact on the wealth of my family. But at the same time my family are not living in fear of their lives which I genuinely believe that Julian is.”

Assange’s decision to seek refuge comes after the Supreme Court ruled that his extradition to Sweden was lawful. An application to reopen the case was refused by the Supreme Court last week.