Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be allowed to walk free and be compensated for his "deprivation of liberty", a UN legal panel has found.

Mr Assange, 44, - who faces extradition to Sweden over a rape claim, which he denies - claimed asylum in London's Ecuadorean embassy in 2012.

He has been arbitrarily detained since his arrest in 2010, the panel said.

The UK Foreign Office said the report "changes nothing" and it will "formally contest the working group's opinion".

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the panel's opinion was "ridiculous" and Mr Assange was a "fugitive from justice". The Met Police said it will make "every effort" to arrest Mr Assange should he leave the embassy.

The panel's ruling is not legally binding in the UK and a European Arrest Warrant remains in place - meaning the UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite Mr Assange.