After a 14-year legal battle, the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has left court a free man. The judge told Mr. Assange that it was reasonable to accept the 62 months already spent in a UK prison as his sentence, meaning he will serve no further time. The sentencing took place at a court in a remote US territory in the Western Pacific, chosen specifically because Julian Assange refused to travel to the US mainland, concerned he would not be able to leave. There, he pleaded guilty to a single in charge of espionage as part of a deal with US authorities to secure his release. Mr. Assange is now free to return to his native Australia and is heading on that way. The Justice Department says he may not return to the US unless he has permission. The A 22-year-old was charged by US officials in 2010 for leaking a vast amount of secret US military information from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We see the plane taking off here. This is the airfield. You see the plane taking off just from Saipan that is on the North Mariana Islands, and Julian Assange heading straight to the airfield after court proceedings wrapped up there.

He's expected to be heading to Cambra in Australia, these islands relatively close to Australia. Another reason it is believed that this territory was selected. But there you see the plane heading off, carrying Julian Assange back to Australia. As we heard, he is a free man to depart to Australia without those US extradition charges anymore. Now, let's hear from Julian Assange's longest-serving lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, who was speaking right after court ended.

Today is a historic day. It brings to an end 14 years of legal battles. Finally, after 14 years of legal battles, Julian Assange can go home a free man. This also brings to an end a case which has been recognized as the greatest threat to the First Amendment in the 21st century.

This is what the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had to say as the trial was underway.

This is a welcomed development, but we recognize as well that those proceedings are sensitive and should be respected. This isn't something that has happened in the last 24 hours. This is something that has been considered, patient, worked through in a calibrated way, which is how Australia conducts ourselves internationally.

For the latest on this story, including a timeline on Julian Assange's long-running legal battle and analysis from our correspondence, go to our website, bbc. Com/news.