WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange faces an effective life sentence in harsh prison conditions if convicted in the United States, a hearing heard today.

Eric Lewis, an expert in extradition and national security cases, told the Old Bailey that some prisoners also had their meetings with lawyers recorded by the penal authorities as a matter of routine.

The US lawyer, who gave evidence via transatlantic video link, described the investigation of Assange as “one of the biggest operations in FBI history.”