Julian Assange appears in London court for sentencing over breaking bail

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appears in a London court to be sentenced for breaking bail after an almost seven-year stay in the Ecuadorean embassy.

Assange, who was dragged out of the embassy last month and charged by the United States for one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information, wore a black jacket over a grey sweatshirt.

Assange faces a maximum sentence of a year in prison when he is sentenced at London’s Southwark Crown Court. A judge at an earlier hearing said the 47-year-old hacker's offense “merits the maximum sentence.”

Assange raised a fist defiantly as he arrived in a prison van at court from the London prison where he has been held since his arrest last month.

Appearing before Southwark Crown Court, Assange confirmed his name and sipped water from a plastic cup. He was convicted last month of skipping bail in 2012 after an extradition order to Sweden over an allegation of rape.

The Australian secret-spiller sought asylum in the South American country's London embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations.

Assange was arrested April 11 after Ecuador revoked his political asylum, accusing him of everything from meddling in the nation's foreign affairs to poor hygiene.

He faces a separate court hearing Thursday on a US extradition request. American authorities have charged Assange with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system.