Ex-soldier Daniel Khalife jailed for 14 years and three months for spying and prison escape

Former British soldier Daniel Khalife has been sentenced for spying for Iran and escaping from Wandsworth prison.

23-year-old Khalife, originally from Kingston in south-west London, made headlines in September 2023 when he escaped from HMP Wandsworth Prison in the capital, where he was awaiting trial for terror offences.

The former solider would remain on the run for four days before being apprehended by police in Chiswick.

It has now been revealed that Khalife had been serving in the British Army he was accused of exposing 'military personnel to serious harm' by collecting sensitive information and passing it to agents of the Middle Eastern country.

Daniel Khalife after being re-arrested by officers (PA)

Khalife had promised Iranian agents to stay in the military for 25-plus years and had been paid in cash for the material he passed onto handlers, some of which had been forged.

Details he gathered included a handwritten list of names of personnel including some who served in the Special Air Service and Special Boat Service.

He has been handeed a for 14 years and three months sentence after being found guilty of spying for Iran and escaping from prison.

Passing sentence at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said he had been motivated by “a selfish desire to show off” and described him as “a dangerous fool”.

Khalife was sentenced to six years for committing an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state, and another six years – consisting of five years in prison and one on licence – for eliciting information about members of the armed forces.

(Met Police)

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb passed a sentence of two years and three months for the jail break.

She told Khalife: “When you joined the Army as a young man, you had the makings of an exemplary soldier.

“However, through the repeated violation of your oath of service, you showed yourself to be, instead, a dangerous fool.”