A man has been jailed helping former soldier Daniel Khalife, who escaped prison and sparked a nation wide manhunt
Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth on the underside of a food delivery truck.
Adeel Khan, 32, from Waltham Forest, east London, helped his fellow inmate after his escape in 2023 by organising a way to get £400 cash to him.
Khan, who worked with Khalife in the prison kitchen, was convicted after trial in July this year and was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.
Another man, Imran Chowdhury, 26, of Chingford, east London, was cleared of the same charge of assisting Khalife after trial.
Khan asked Chowdhury to withdraw £400 for Khalife after his escape and arranged for him to be paid £120 for the job, the court heard.
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After his escape, Khalife called Khan multiple times using the phones of members of the public in a pattern of regular contact.
Khan messaged his then-girlfriend to pay Chowdhury who “didn’t know what was going on” for attending the meeting with Khalife.
At the time of the escape, Khan was on remand at HMP Wandsworth, facing extradition for France having been convicted in absence of playing a leading role in a human trafficking operation along with firearms offences.
He was described in court as the “leader” of a network organising trips for migrants from eastern Europe to France and then on to the UK via the channel. He was stopped while driving a van through France in 2021 and three boats, with engines and life jackets were found in the back, the court heard.
In sentencing, Judge Murray Shanks said: “These offences arose out of the escape from Wandsworth prison of Daniel Khalife on September 6 2023, at the time you were also in Wandsworth prison.
“You were remanded there awaiting extradition to France in relation to two very serious offences, or series of offences, for which you had already been sentenced in your absence.
“He [Khalife] was being held awaiting trial for a number of very serious offences under the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act.
“In particular, he was working, it seems, with the Iranian secret service and giving details about members of the armed forces.”
Khalife was sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison after being convicted of breaching the Official Secrets and Terrorism Acts at a trial in 2024.
Tom Williams, prosecuting, said: “Mr Khan’s assistance via Mr Chowdhury allowed Mr Khalife to buy the phone he used to contact his IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp] handlers.”
He added that Khan’s help meant Khalife was able “to survive on the outside for longer than he would otherwise have been able to” and that he used some of the money to buy non-prison clothes.
A red diary was found in Khalife’s possession when he was caught, which had Khan’s name, phone numbers and contact details for his relations, the court heard.
Khalife was also found with about £200 in cash which was thought to be part of the withdrawal Chowdhury had made.
Judge Shanks said: “He was only at large for a couple of days but he was assisted greatly, no doubt, by the money you organised from Wandsworth.
“By phone, first in receiving calls and then in making calls first to your girlfriend and then to your co-defendant.”
He later added that while Khan was not charged with assisting the escape itself, he was “quite sure” there had been some discussion about Khalife’s plan.
“That was why he had your number and your brother’s details I think when he escaped in that little book,” said Judge Shanks.
Gregory Fishwick, defending, told the judge that Khan looks after his family, many of whom were sat in court on Friday morning.
In July, Mr Fishwick told the court that Khan had “made decisions as a young man which he is now living to regret” including during his time in prison.
Khan, of east London, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for assisting an escaped prisoner and 15 months concurrently for his possession of an illegal prison phone.
