By Lucy Caulkett-
A jail inmate has been convicted for helping a fellow prisoner evade capture after one of Britain’s most high-profile prison escapes, in a case that has highlighted the serious criminal consequences of assisting offenders on the run.
Adeel Khan, 32, from Waltham Forest, was found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court of assisting Daniel Khalife after the former British Army soldier escaped from HMP Wandsworth on 6 September 2023. Prosecutors proved that Khan, who had met Khalife while in prison, arranged for him to receive £400 in cash while he was on the run, enabling the fugitive to buy a mobile phone and other essentials that helped him remain at large.
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The conviction sends a clear message that those who knowingly assist fugitives—even without directly participating in their escape—can face prosecution and imprisonment themselves.
Khalife’s escape dominated national headlines after he slipped out of HMP Wandsworth by strapping himself beneath a food delivery lorry. The incident prompted a nationwide manhunt involving hundreds of police officers, specialist counter-terrorism detectives and extensive public appeals as authorities searched for a prisoner who would later be convicted of terrorism and espionage offences.
After three days on the run, Khalife was arrested beside a canal in Northolt, west London, bringing the search to an end. However, investigators quickly turned their attention to another crucial question: who had helped him remain free?
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Counter Terrorism Policing London launched an extensive investigation into Khalife’s movements during those three days and uncovered evidence suggesting that he had not acted alone.
Detectives discovered that Khalife had remained in regular contact with Khan, whom he had befriended while both men were serving prison sentences. When officers searched Khalife following his arrest, they found Khan’s name, prison number and mobile telephone number written inside a diary.
Specialist analysis of telecommunications data revealed that Khan and Khalife had spoken numerous times while the escaped prisoner was trying to evade police. Although the handset used by Khan was never recovered, investigators were able to establish a pattern of communication linking the two men throughout the manhunt.
The investigation also revealed how Khalife obtained the money that enabled him to continue his escape. Police established that Khan arranged for £400 to be delivered to Khalife through a third party. CCTV footage captured Khan’s friend, Imran Chowdhury, meeting Khalife near a bank in Richmond before withdrawing the cash and handing it over.
The court heard that Chowdhury received £120 from Khan, via Khan’s girlfriend, for delivering the money. However, prosecutors accepted that Chowdhury did not know he was assisting an escaped prisoner. Following a two-week trial, the jury acquitted Chowdhury of assisting an offender but convicted Khan after concluding that he knowingly facilitated Khalife’s attempt to evade capture.
Khan had previously admitted possessing a mobile phone while in prison, an offence uncovered during the wider investigation. The prosecution of this case shows how modern criminal investigations increasingly rely upon digital evidence alongside traditional detective work. Investigators pieced together prison intelligence, telephone data, CCTV footage and financial evidence to build a detailed picture of how Khalife remained in contact with his associate while evading one of the country’s largest police searches in recent years.
Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the investigation demonstrated that anyone choosing to help dangerous offenders should expect to face justice themselves.
“A huge amount of police resource was used during the manhunt for Daniel Khalife—a man who has now been convicted of espionage and terrorism offences,” she said.
“Adeel Khan knowingly helped him to try and evade capture by arranging for him to be given £400 cash, which enabled him to buy a mobile phone and other items that helped extend his time on the run.
“This case demonstrates that anyone who helps a criminal in this way will find themselves arrested and now they are also facing justice.”
The offence of assisting an offender is designed to protect the integrity of the criminal justice system by criminalising conduct that enables offenders to avoid arrest or prosecution. Assistance need not involve physically helping someone escape custody. Providing money, transport, accommodation, communications or other practical support to someone known to be evading the police may all amount to a criminal offence.
Although such prosecutions are relatively uncommon compared with many other criminal offences, they often arise in high-profile investigations where police believe third parties have deliberately frustrated efforts to apprehend dangerous suspects. Courts have consistently treated such offending seriously because it can prolong investigations, consume substantial public resources and increase risks to public safety.
In Khalife’s case, the support arranged by Khan allowed the escaped prisoner to purchase a mobile phone, maintain communications and obtain supplies during the critical first days of the nationwide manhunt. Prosecutors argued that this practical assistance significantly aided Khalife’s efforts to remain beyond the reach of police.
Khan is due to be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 4 September. His conviction concludes another chapter in the extraordinary story of Daniel Khalife’s escape—one that began with a dramatic prison breakout but ultimately resulted in the prosecution not only of the fugitive himself, but also of the man who helped him stay free.
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