Two Friends Accused of Assisting Daniel Khalife's Escape
Two friends are alleged to have assisted escaped prisoner Daniel Khalife by acting as an instructor inside the prison and a "man on the ground" who supplied him with money, a court has heard.
Adeel Khan, 32, and Imran Chowdhury, 26, have pleaded not guilty to charges of helping former soldier Khalife escape from HMP Wandsworth by tying himself to the bottom of a delivery truck in September 2023.
The two defendants lived approximately one mile apart in east London, a Snaresbrook Crown Court jury was informed.
Khalife, who triggered a nationwide manhunt after absconding from the London prison, was sentenced to 14 years and three months for spying for Iran following a 2024 trial.
Prosecution Details the Roles of Khan and Chowdhury
Prosecutor Tom Williams described the friendship between Khan and Chowdhury as "important."
"The prosecution's case is that Khan was providing instructions from inside Wandsworth, and that Chowdhury was the man on the ground, providing money to a man who had escaped from the same prison that morning,"
he told the court.
"Khan would have to have given careful thought to who could be trusted with a task like this - the consequences if it went wrong, or if Chowdhury told the wrong people about it, would, you might think, be very significant."
Evidence Linking Khan to Khalife's Escape
Khan was initially connected to Khalife's escape through a red diary containing his name found in the former soldier's possession upon arrest, the court heard.
The diary included Khan's name, an illegal prison phone number, his personal mobile number, and his Snapchat account, according to photos presented in court.
Khalife was also carrying approximately £200 in £20 notes, which the prosecution claimed was taken from a £400 withdrawal made by Chowdhury at a cash machine in Richmond, south-west London, on the day of the prison escape.
Chowdhury was paid £120 for this, the court was told.
Relationship Between Khan and Khalife Inside Prison
Khan and Khalife regularly worked together in the Wandsworth prison kitchen and "must have known each other well," the prosecutor added.
Communication After the Escape
In the hours and days following his escape, Khalife called Khan multiple times using phones borrowed from members of the public, the court heard.
"All Khalife had with him, at this point, was what he had been able to take with him under a food lorry - and that wasn't going to last him very long."
Shortly after Khalife absconded from prison, at approximately 20:41 BST, Khan messaged his then-girlfriend, Nazish Mahmood, with Chowdhury's bank details.
He told her to "put 120£ in this ac please thank u baby".
That same evening, Khalife called Khan using a phone belonging to a member of the public, and they spoke for around one minute, the prosecution added.
After the £120 was deposited into Chowdhury's Barclays account at 21:55, he and Khalife met in "a meeting that Khan had been instrumental in arranging," Williams said.
The pair were seen walking along a street in Richmond at 22:38 before entering an alleyway, according to CCTV footage shown in court.
Trial Outcomes and Continuing Proceedings
Khalife was found guilty of spying but was cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax at the Army barracks where he had been based as a soldier.
He had already admitted to escaping from Wandsworth prison.
The trial of Khan, from Waltham Forest, and Chowdhury, from Chingford, is ongoing.
