Trial opens for two men accused of aiding Daniel Khalife’s prison escape

Two men have gone on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, accused of assisting former soldier Daniel Khalife in his 2023 escape from HMP Wandsworth.

• Prosecutor Tom Williams told the jury that Adeel Khan provided instructions from inside the prison and that Imran Chowdhury acted as the "man on the ground" supplying money.
• The court heard that Khan’s name and contact details were found in a red diary Khalife was carrying when he was arrested on a canal towpath in September 2023.
• Chowdhury allegedly withdrew £400 from a cash machine the day of the escape, and Khalife was found with £200 in £20 notes, the prosecution said.
• Khalife was sentenced in 2024 to 14 years and three months for spying for Iran; he had already admitted escaping from Wandsworth prison.