Julian Assange LATEST: Wikileaks to hold a press conference in Australia after its founder reached a plea deal to return to his homeland a “free man” despite admitting espionage charges in a US-controlled court.

These are some of the most surprising photographs after Assange’s release from the court on the island of Saipan.

During a three-hour hearing in Saipan, Assange pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified national defense documents, but said he believed the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of expression, , protected their activities.

Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified so that I could publish that information.

I believed the First Amendment protected that activity but I accept that it was… a violation of the espionage statute.

Chief U.S. District Judge Ramona Manglona accepted his guilty plea, noting that the U.S. government indicated there were no personal victims of Assange’s actions.

You will be able to leave this room a free man. I hope some peace is restored.

Given the factual basis that explains the entire saga of events that forms the basis of this very serious espionage charge against you… In fact, I am sentencing you to a period of time served.

First, let’s recap what happened earlier when Assange walked free from court after pleading guilty to a single charge of espionage.

The WikiLeaks founder was released without parole or supervision after a hearing in a US federal court on the Pacific island of Saipan.

However, he is prohibited from re-entering the United States without permission from US authorities.

Read Nic White and Perkin Amalaraj’s story here:

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Julian Assange’s return to Australia following his release from a US federal court.

Assange will arrive in his homeland a “free man” after accepting a plea deal that has ended his 14-year legal saga that has seen him imprisoned in a high-security prison and the South American embassy in the United Kingdom.

The 52-year-old is expected to arrive in Canberra in the next hour and a press conference organized by Wikileaks will be held later.

We’ll bring you the latest updates on Mr. Assange’s return, plus photos, videos and the best reactions from social media.