<p> The 39-year-old Australian, who on Tuesday faced a second day in a British court, deposed behind closed doors, with his lawyers arguing that he fears he may be sent to the US where he could face death penalty.<br /><br />Stockholm-based Bjorn Hurtig said contradictory messages posted on Twitter and a blog suggested the two alleged victims may have a “hidden agenda”.<br /><br />The 45-year-old lawyer underlined that it was “outrageous” for a prosecutor to publicly confirm the 39-year-old Australian was under investigation for rape, saying his client faces one of the “weakest” cases he has ever seen in his career. In a statement submitted to the Woolwich Crown Court in south London on Tuesday, Hurtig attacked Assange’s treatment at the hands of the Swedish authorities.<br /><br />“In my opinion, having studied the case file, as well as other material I was permitted to inspect but not to take copies or notes of (text messages from the complainants’ mobile telephones) the case is one of the weakest I have ever seen in my professional career,” Hurtig said.<br /><br />“Even leaving to one side evidential problems, I can see from the SMS/text messages, in which the complainants speak of ‘revenge’, obtaining money and speaking about Assange in the press, that they may have a hidden agenda, which casts serious doubt on their accusations and their trustworthiness,” he said.<br /><br />Assange faces three charges of sexually assaulting one woman and one charge of raping another during a week-long visit to Stockholm last August.</p>
<p> The 39-year-old Australian, who on Tuesday faced a second day in a British court, deposed behind closed doors, with his lawyers arguing that he fears he may be sent to the US where he could face death penalty.<br /><br />Stockholm-based Bjorn Hurtig said contradictory messages posted on Twitter and a blog suggested the two alleged victims may have a “hidden agenda”.<br /><br />The 45-year-old lawyer underlined that it was “outrageous” for a prosecutor to publicly confirm the 39-year-old Australian was under investigation for rape, saying his client faces one of the “weakest” cases he has ever seen in his career. In a statement submitted to the Woolwich Crown Court in south London on Tuesday, Hurtig attacked Assange’s treatment at the hands of the Swedish authorities.<br /><br />“In my opinion, having studied the case file, as well as other material I was permitted to inspect but not to take copies or notes of (text messages from the complainants’ mobile telephones) the case is one of the weakest I have ever seen in my professional career,” Hurtig said.<br /><br />“Even leaving to one side evidential problems, I can see from the SMS/text messages, in which the complainants speak of ‘revenge’, obtaining money and speaking about Assange in the press, that they may have a hidden agenda, which casts serious doubt on their accusations and their trustworthiness,” he said.<br /><br />Assange faces three charges of sexually assaulting one woman and one charge of raping another during a week-long visit to Stockholm last August.</p>