WikiLeaks founder heads to Australia as US ambassador Caroline Kennedy declares ‘longstanding and difficult’ case closed

Here are the key developments in the Julian Assange hearing today:

• Court has adjourned in Saipan, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pleaded guilty to a single felony charge for publishing US military secrets. He was sentenced by Judge Ramona V Manglona to time served. He has left the court a free man, and is on his way to his native Australia.
• The judge said, “It appears your 62 months … was fair and reasonable and proportionate to [Chelsea] Manning’s actual prison time.” WikiLeaks published classified documents obtained by Manning.
• The plea was part of a deal struck with the US justice department that was expected to secure his freedom. It ends the almost 14-year-long pursuit of the publisher by the US.
• The plea was entered Wednesday morning in federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Pacific. Assange, who had flown to Saipan from London via Bangkok, arrived at court shortly before the hearing was to begin, wearing a dark suit with a tie loosened at the collar. He did not want to face a hearing on the US mainland, which, along with its proximity to Australia, is why Saipan was chosen for the hearing.
• Following the sentencing, the US Department of Justice released a lengthy statement saying that Assange would not be allowed back into the US. It said, “Following the imposition of sentence, he will depart the United States for his native Australia. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Assange is prohibited from returning to the United States without permission.”
• Stella Assange, the wife of Julian, told Reuters on Tuesday they would seek a pardon were he to plead guilty. If this were granted, he might be allowed to return to the US in future.
• Assange departed from the court straight to the airport in Saipan, where he is expected to board a flight for Canberra, Australia.
• Assange was accompanied in the court Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, and Australian high commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith. He was greeted by foreign and local media, but did not stop to speak to the gathered press despite the questions being shouted at him.
• Australian human rights lawyer and member of Assange’s legal team, Jennifer Robinson, addressed the media after the sentencing, saying: “I hope that the fact that we have been able to free Julian Assange today against all of the odds and against one of the most powerful governments in the world will give hope to all journalists and publishers who are imprisoned around the world.”
• Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, addressed the media saying, “The prosecution of Julian Assange is unprecedented in the 100 years of the espionage act, it has never been used by United States to pursue a publisher, a journalist, like Mr Assange. Mr Assange revealed truthful, newsworthy information, including revealing that the United States had committed war crimes. He has suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech, for freedom of the press, and to ensure that the American public and the world community gets truthful and important newsworthy information.”

the details are still sparse about whether Assange himself will be addressing the media at 9:15 pm tonight.

I think it will be ‘watch and see’ – we will be here to blog it and we have Sarah Basford Canales, Sharlotte Thou and Mike Bowers on the ground to bring you updates and pictures.

The plane is now over mainland Australia and has under two hours until it lands.

 images from Jennifer Robinson’s Instagram.

Robinson is Assange’s lawyer, a friend of the PM, and has been dubbed ‘the A-list’s go-to lawyer’ in the UK, and advised Amber Heard (among a longer, more impressive list of other things).

She is currently on the plane with Assange, and posted these: