British soldier Daniel Khalife sentenced to 14 years for spying for Iran and prison break

Undated handout record photograph issued by the Metropolitan Police of Daniel Khalife who has been condemnation (Image: PA)

A British worker turned traitor who escaped from situation by clinging to the bottommost of a nutrient motortruck has been jailed for 14 years and 3 months aft being convicted of spying for Iran.

Daniel Khalife, 23, who has an Iranian parent and Lebanese begetter was recruited by the rogue authorities via Facebook conscionable weeks aft joining the Royal Corps of Signals.

Security officials are unsure precisely what accusation helium really managed to walk connected the encrypted communications app Telegram arsenic the traitor deleted it each earlier being arrested.

Khalife provoked a nationwide manhunt aft escaping HMP Wandsworth – wherever helium was being held connected remand for spying - and going connected the tally for 3 days successful September past year.

Twelve years are for spying, and 2 years and 3 months are for breaking retired of prison. Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb besides ordered him to wage £10,000 to assistance towards the costs of the trial.

Last November helium was convicted by a assemblage of 3 charges linked to 2 years helium spent passing delicate accusation to Iran.

Daniel Abed Khalife: Police stock CCTV of van utilized successful escape

Jurors rejected Khalife's lies that helium had been undertaking a one-man “double agent” ngo aft being told his Iranian practice would halt him getting his imagination relation successful British intelligence.

Even Khalife's ain lawyer accepted the “hapless” cognition bore much resemblance to Scooby Doo than James Bond.

Sentencing Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told the traitor it was a “shame” that the erstwhile worker had spent 2 years successful interaction with agents of Iran aft joining the service astatine a commendably young age.

She added: “The specified information that you started connected this unsafe and fantastical program demonstrates your immaturity and deficiency of wisdom, that you thought it was due to insert yourself – an unauthorised, unqualified and uninformed inferior worker into connection with an force authorities is possibly the clearest denotation of the grade of folly successful your nonaccomplishment to recognize astatine the astir evident level the hazard you posed.”

She told him helium would person been a blackmail hazard for his full vocation had helium not been caught.

He contacted MI6 and MI5 successful his attempts to go a treble agent, but was ignored.

“The greater mischief successful your offending is that, having failed to prosecute immoderate effect from the quality services of the United Kingdom, you continued betraying your state and exposed others to the anticipation of harm,” the justice said.

Undated handout record photograph issued by the Metropolitan Police of Daniel Khalife taken aft his arres (Image: PA)

Screen drawback taken from PA video of Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb during the sentencing of Daniel Khalife (Image: PA)

The UK has sanctioned much than 450 Iranian individuals and entities, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps successful its entirety, arsenic good arsenic idiosyncratic commanders.

The proceedings astatine Woolwich Crown Court heard however Khalife played a "cynical game" aft contacting a antheral linked to Iranian quality connected Facebook weeks aft joining the service arsenic a 16-year-old successful September 2018.

The teenage rookie created and passed connected fake documents supposedly from MPs, elder subject officials and the information services, but besides sent genuine service documents aft boasting to the Iranians that helium would enactment undercover successful the British Army for “25-plus years”.

He collected delicate accusation that posed a existent information successful the incorrect hands and connected 1 juncture was sent to cod £1,500 near successful a canine poo container successful a northbound London park.

He gathered the names of 15 serving squaddies – including elite peculiar forces soldiers – which are believed to person been passed connected to Iran earlier helium deleted the evidence.

Then successful November 2021 helium made an anonymous telephone to the MI5 nationalist reporting line, confessing to being successful interaction with Iran for much than 2 years.

He offered to assistance the British information services, and said helium wanted to instrumentality to his mean life.

But helium past fled his basal astatine Beacon Barracks successful Stafford, leaving down a fake weaponry comprising 3 nitrous oxide canisters taped together, connected his desk.

After being arrested and charged helium was remanded successful custody astatine HMP Wandsworth where, 8 months later, helium carried retired his audacious flight by exploiting his relation arsenic a room cook to connect a sling made from torn room trousers to the bottommost of a nutrient transportation lorry.

He told jurors helium subsequently wanted to beryllium caught truthful helium could beryllium moved to a high-security portion distant from enactment offenders and terrorists successful HMP Belmarsh.

Handout CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police dated 9/9/2023 of Daniel Khalife astatine a subdivision of McDon (Image: PA)

Handout CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police dated 9/9/2023 of Daniel Khalife astatine a subdivision of McDon (Image: PA)

Undated handout record photograph issued by the Metropolitan Police of the motorcycle and container astatine the country astatine Gra (Image: PA)

Court creator drafting by Elizabeth Cook of Daniel Khalife appearing astatine Woolwich Crown Court, southbound Lo (Image: PA)

But Mark Heywood KC, prosecuting, branded this “nonsense” and said Khalife really hoped to beryllium spirited distant with the assistance of his Iranian handlers.

He had denied the flight earlier admitting his guilt midway done the trial.

Commander Dominic Murphy, caput of the Met Police's counter-terror command, said “Khalife is the eventual Walter Mitty character. The occupation is, he's a Walter Mitty quality that was having an highly important interaction successful the existent world.

“The world is, helium provided highly sensitive, protectively marked accusation to the Iranian state. We cognize precise good the menace the Iranian authorities poses to the United Kingdom's nationalist security.

“Only helium volition cognize wherefore helium was doing this, I bash judge determination is immoderate of this that fitted into his ain fantasies, but helium caused a important magnitude of harm successful doing so.'

The disgraced worker was convicted of committing an enactment prejudicial to the information oregon interests of the authorities and eliciting accusation astir members of the equipped forces. He was cleared of perpetrating a weaponry hoax.

Bethan David, Head of the Counter Terrorism Division astatine the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “As a serving worker of the British Army Daniel Khalife was employed and entrusted to uphold and support the nationalist information of this country. But, for purposes of his own, Daniel Khalife, utilized his employment to undermine nationalist security.

“He surreptitiously sought retired and obtained copies of concealed and delicate accusation which helium knew were protected and passed these connected to individuals helium believed to beryllium acting connected behalf of the Iranian state. The sharing of the accusation could person exposed subject unit to superior harm, oregon a hazard to life, and prejudiced the information and information of the United Kingdom.