Serving British Army soldier, Daniel Khalife was on remand awaiting trial on charges of spying for Iran and perpetrating a bomb hoax at his base when he escaped from Wandsworth Prison in 2023.

A court’s heard he made a series of calls to 32 year old Adeel Khan, who had an illicit phone hidden in the jail where the pair had met while working together in the kitchens.

The morning after his escape, Khalife went into Marks and Spencer at the Kew Retail Park and then went to Kings Mall Shopping Centre in Hammersmith to buy a phone.

He called Khan  that evening and the court heard that the pair spoke for over 17 minutes.

Khalife made 12 further attempts to contact Khan on his iPhone in prison the next day, leaving several voicemails which were not recovered.

24 year old Khalife was eventually spotted by a member of the public and intercepted by undercover officers in Northolt and was jailed for 14 years and 3 months last year.

Upon his arrest, he was found to be carrying £200 in cash and a diary in which he had written the prison number, mobile phone number and Snapchat handle for Khan.

Police say 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.

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.

Police say this is where 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 and he was found not guilty of assisting an offender.

Khan had denied intending to “prevent, hinder or interfere” with Khalife being taken into custody but pleaded guilty to possessing a mobile phone inside a prison without authority and will be sentenced in September.

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.”

  • The footage shows Daniel Khalife and Imran Chowdhury, who was found not guilty, walking to a cash point in Richmond.