Soldier pleads guilty to prison escape

Daniel Khalife, a 23-year-old former soldier from Kingston, has pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody while awaiting trial for espionage. During his testimony at Woolwich Crown Court, Khalife admitted to deliberately escaping under a food catering truck on 6 September last year, leading to a nationwide manhunt. The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb, stated: “He has admitted he was in lawful custody and has admitted he has deliberately escaped.” Khalife is accused of passing secrets to Iran while serving with the Royal Corps of Signals but claims he only provided fabricated documents to appear as a double agent. He said he was “not thinking straight” during his escape attempt, which he had planned after learning of his transfer to Belmarsh maximum security jail.