A man has been found guilty of assisting Daniel Khalife after his high-profile escape from HMP Wandsworth. Adeel Khan, 32, from Waltham Forest, helped supply Khalife with money following his escape in September 2023.
A second man, Imran Chowdhury, 26, of Chingford, east London, was cleared of the same charge.
Khalife, a former British army soldier, was sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison for spying for Iran and escaping from lawful custody.
His escape from HMP Wandsworth in 2023 sparked a nationwide manhunt. The then 21-year-old broke out of the prison grounds by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck using material likely fashioned from bed sheets.
Khalife on the run
Khalife was on the run for three days before he was arrested near a canal in Northolt. Following his arrest, it became clear to officers that Khalife was not acting alone in his attempts to evade capture by police.
Following his escape, Khalife called Khan several times using phones borrowed from members of the public. Khan worked with Khalife in the prison kitchen at HMP Wandsworth, Snaresbrook Crown Court previously heard.
Officers also found that Khan had arranged for Khalife to be given £400 in cash.
Police comment
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said: “A huge amount of police resource was used during the manhunt for Daniel Khalife - a man who has now been convicted of espionage and terrorism offences.
“Adeel Khan knowingly helped him to try and evade capture by arranging for him to be given £400 cash, which enabled him to buy a mobile phone and other items that helped extend his time on the run.
“This case demonstrates that anyone who helps a criminal in this way will find themselves arrested and now they are also facing justice.”
Investigation details
Khan was interviewed in Wandsworth prison in October 2023 after CTP London officers found his name, prison number and mobile phone number written in a diary Khalife had on him when he was arrested.
Through analysis of mobile phone data, the officers discovered a number of phone calls between Khan and Khalife after his escape from the prison. These phone calls were made from phones Khalife borrowed from members of the public, before he was able to purchase his own mobile phone with the cash Khan had arranged to be given to him.
The phone used to communicate with Khalife was never recovered but Khan was subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to possession of a phone in prison, contrary to Section 40 D(1) of the Prisons Act 1952.
Chowdhury cleared
Khan’s friend Imran Chowdhury was also charged with assisting an offender after CTP London officers tracked down CCTV footage that showed Chowdhury and Khalife walking together towards a bank in the Richmond area. This is when he withdrew £400 and gave it to Khalife. Further enquiries identified that Chowdhury was paid £120 by Khan, via his girlfriend, for doing this. The jury heard Chowdhury did not know he was giving money to an escaped prisoner.
After a two-week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Chowdhury, 26, of Chingford was found not guilty of assisting an offender.
Khan will be sentenced at the same court on September 4.
