Most of us if faced with threats to our children and a well organized smear campaign such as the one set up for Assange would run for your lives or would you?
I was personally faced with a similar situation in Egypt where a smear campaign was setup against me accusing me of being a Mossad agent (a crime punishable with 15 years in prison), threats to my wife and son life which forced me to zipp then out of Egypt and away from me to safety.
Then seeing that I was not intimidated by Spy accusations, They physically attacked me and then at the police station accused me of attacking them showing self inflicted wounds as proof.
Then followed a court case where according to Egyptian law I could get a max of 3 Years. I had to present myself in front of an Egyptian judge and if he ruled against me I would go straight to prison (like in monopoly) if I did not go before the courts I was automatically guilty.
I faced the choice stay face the judge and risk prison or flee leave my company to be ripped apart without my protection, I stayed and in the end was condemned to spending 24 hours in a police station which I never did.
During that time the French consul of Alexandria Marie-Christine Glas did absolutely nothing and even had the guts to tell me she only displaces herself for death sentences! (Fucking Bureaucrats and their cocktail parties).
What did I learn, 1) Never count on your elected bureaucrats always there to take money never when you need them 2) Justice is controlled by money, bureaucrats and politics 3) Don´t count on people being honest and straight.
As for Assange they will convict him and if extradited to Sweden will be handed over to the US which will setup a show trial.
