WikiLeaks 'spy' Bradley Manning is sentenced to 35 years in prison - but he could be out in EIGHT YEARS

Bradley Manning has today been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking an unprecedented volume of classified documents to WikiLeaks.

Flanked by his lawyers, the 25-year-old Army private appeared not to show any emotion when his long-awaited fate was read out, though spectators gasped inside the military courtroom at Fort Meade near Baltimore.

Because of the 1,294 days he has already spent in custody, Manning will immediately shave three and a half years off his 35-year term. He is eligible for parole after serving at least one-third of the sentence, which means he could be free in eight years, when he's 33 or 34 years old.

Manning also leaed he will be reduced in grade to the rank of private E1, dishonorably discharged from the military and forfeit all pay and allowances.

Sixty years: The govement had urged the military judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, to sentence Manning to 60 years in prison for crimes that include six Espionage Act violations, five theft counts and computer fraud

Manning's sentencing, lasting just a couple of minutes, capped off a 12-week trial and a much longer legal battle over the former intelligence analyst's intentions when he reached out to WikiLeaks.

Following the hearing, Manning was quickly ushered out of the court where he was met by supporters who shouted 'we'll keep fighting for you Bradley' and 'you're our hero.'

'I'm shocked. I did not think she would do that,' said Manning supporter Jim Holland, of San Diego. 'Thirty-five years, my Lord.'

The sentence was more severe than many had expected, and is much longer than any punishment previously given to a U.S. govement leaker.

His supporters are planning protest rallies in cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York and Boston.

The former intelligence analyst was found guilty last month of 20 crimes, including six violations of the Espionage Act, as part of the Obama administration's unprecedented crackdown on media leaks.

But the judge acquitted him of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, an offense that could have meant life in prison without parole.

Supporters: Supporters of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning hold up banners as they protest outside of the gates at Fort Meade, Maryland, on Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Shocked: Ingrid Dean, of Sevea Park, Maryland, holds a sign along with other supporters of US Army Private Bradley Manning holding a vigil outside the gate at Fort Meade, Maryland, on Wednesday

Prosecutors portrayed Manning as 'the determined insider,' an anarchist hacker and traitor who started working within weeks of his 2009 deployment to provide WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange with exactly what they wanted.

The govement had urged the military judge, Army Colonel Denise Lind, to sentence him to 60 years in prison for crimes that include six Espionage Act violations, five theft counts and computer fraud.

Manning and his defense team maintain he was an idealistic soldier with a pure motive -- to expose brutal truths about America's military and diplomatic corps.

Prosecutors had no immediate comment, while the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty Inteational and other activists decried the punishment.

'When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system,' said Ben Wizner, head of the ACLU's speech and technology project.

They said in the trial the gay soldier's gender-identity crisis in the 'don't ask, don't tell' military reached a crescendo that caused him to act out, mistakenly believing that by pouring secret govement documents and video onto the Inteet, he could change the way the world viewed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and, perhaps, all wars.

'I believed I was going to help people, not hurt people,' Manning said in a courtroom apology last week.

The leaked material included video of a U.S. helicopter attack that killed at least two civilians -- a Reuters news photographer and his driver.

Troubled time: Manning was isolated and alone in the Army because of his desire to dress in female clothing

'Red flags': Defense attoeys said superiors should have recognized issues Manning was having

Gender Identity Issues: In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Bradley Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. Manning emailed his military therapist the photo with a letter titled, 'My problem'

The 700,000 leaked documents endangered the lives of U.S. intelligence sources and prompted several ambassadors to be recalled, reassigned or expelled, prosecutors showed.

Defense attoey David Coombs had suggested a sentence no longer than the expiration date of the classified information Manning leaked: 25 years.

Manning acknowledged wrongdoing in February and offered to serve up to 20 years in prison for lesser versions of the charged offenses. But prosecutors led by Major Ashden Fein sought to hold him accountable for serious crimes, and largely succeeded.

Lind convicted Manning July 30 on 20 of the 22 charges. However, prosecutors were unable to prove that Manning aided the enemy, a crime punishable by life in prison.

Still, he faced up to 90 years for the convictions. And prosecutors were adamant in asking Lind to ensure that Manning spend most of his remaining years locked up.

Military prisoners can ea up to 120 days a year off their sentence for good behavior and job performance, but must serve at least one-third of any prison sentence before they can become eligible for parole.

Manning got credit for about 3 1/2 years of pretrial confinement, including 112 days for being illegally punished by harsh conditions at the Quantico, Virginia, Marine Corps brigade.

Younger years: Manning, who was apparently considering transitioning to become a woman when he retued from the warzone, has said he does not like seeing pictures of himself as a young boy

Struggle: Manning, pictured as a child, was bullied throughout school for being gay, friends have said

He was held at Quantico for nine months, from July 2010 to April 2011, when he was moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Throughout his time at Quantico, he was designated a 'maximum custody' detainee and considered at risk of either suicide or harming himself or others.

His lawyers asserted he was locked up alone for at least 23 hours a day, forced to sleep naked for several nights and required to stand naked at attention one moing.

Under military law, the verdict and sentence must be reviewed -- and may be reduced -- by the commander of the Military District of Washington, currently Major General Jeffery S. Buchanan.

Besides the court-martial record, Manning's defense team can submit other pieces of information in a bid for leniency.

Further appeals can be made to the military's highest court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Amnesty Inteational and the Bradley Manning Support Network have announced an online petition asking President Barack Obama to pardon Manning.