Daniel Khalife, a former soldier, received 14 years for spying for Iran and escaping prison while awaiting trial
Staffordshire: A former soldier named Daniel Khalife was sentenced recently. He got 14 years and three months for spying for Iran and escaping from prison.
Khalife, 23, was in the British Army. He collected sensitive information that could harm military personnel. He sold this information to Iranian agents for money.
During his trial, Khalife said he wanted to be a double agent. But prosecutors showed he was just playing a dangerous game.
In September 2023, while waiting for his trial, Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth. He hid under a food delivery truck to get out of the prison.
A nationwide manhunt followed. Days later, a plainclothes detective found him on a canal towpath.
At Woolwich Crown Court, jurors found Khalife guilty of breaching the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act. He admitted to escaping but was cleared of a bomb hoax.
On February 3, he was sentenced and taken into custody. He also has to pay £10,000 in court costs.
During sentencing, Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb called him a “dangerous fool.” She noted it was a shame he spent two years in contact with Iranian agents after joining the army.
