his decision to fight extradition. "He felt if he was facing seven judges, clearly he had brought up a matter of public importance and, as a consequence, might argue that what he was doing had an element of public service about it."

But Julian Knowles QC, a barrister specialising in extradition law based at Matrix Chambers, said the decision to might be more easily explained by the enormous public interest in Assange's case – "to send the message that the highest court in the land has looked at this case, and it's had the attention of the best legal minds in the country".

Flexible

In Knowles's view, the law in this area – whether a public prosecutor is a valid judicial authority – has been comprehensively tested. "This point has beenstill have the option to make an application to the European court of human rights (as he has hinted he may do at earlier stages of the process), this would not delay his extradition, since Sweden is also a signatory to that convention. Instead, the extradition unit at Scotland Yard would agree with their Swedish counterparts a date, within 10 days, for Assange to be handed over, according to Knowles. The Australian would be required to present himself at one of the main London airports, where he would be handed to Swedish police, who would escort him on a flight to Stockholm. Once on Swedish soil, he would immediately be arrested.

In preparation for such an eventuality, Assange some months ago contracted new Swedish lawyers and a PR consultant,