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A former British soldier accused of escaping from prison bought a McDonald’s coffee and a newspaper about him as officers were searching for him.
Daniel Khalife, 23, is alleged to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth in south London while on remand by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery lorry on the morning of September 6, 2023.
CCTV footage shown in court showed him going inside of a Mountain Warehouse, buying a phone and stopping into an M&S and McDonalds.
The court heard he also bought a newspaper with a story about his alleged escape, before nipping into a McDonald’s for a £1.09 espresso.
Khalife was eventually arrested on a footpath of the Grand Union Canal on September 9, telling officers his ‘body ached’ after using a lorry to escape prison.
After his arrest, Khalife also told officers he ‘never thought’ it was a crime to escape from prison, Woolwich Crown Court heard.
Khalife went into multiple shops in London (Picture: PA)
During a police interview, the former soldier said he ‘f***** up’ his body underneath the truck.
‘You see the floor going faster and faster and faster, the lorry shakes and it’s hot,’ he said.
Khalife told the court he did not realise how ‘unbelievably dangerous’ it was until the vehicle turned on to Trinity Road in Wandsworth, where the speed limit increased.
Asked why he had allegedly escaped, Khalife replied: ‘Can’t tell you. There’s a reason why I was so calm when the officer arrested me. I could have jumped in the water, I could have f***** him up. Everything’s gone to plan.’
He added: ‘If I was really, really keen to abscond I would have gone to Clapham (station)… the furthest train possible, go to some country and disappear.’
He said that, as a former soldier, he was trained for ‘escape and evasion’, adding: ‘We’re soldiers… it means something, years of training. We’re literally trained for escape and evasion.’
He also complained about ‘terrible’ photos of him circulating (Picture: PA)
Khalife complained in court about the ‘terrible’ picture that had been circulated of him during the manhunt, the court was told.
He also told officers he regretted being a ‘burden’ on the country when he heard about lorries being stopped and airport delays as a result of extra security checks in the wake of his alleged escape.
Asked if he had enjoyed the alleged escape, Khalife said no, adding: ‘I was in prison, now I’m in prison.’
He also faces charges contrary to the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, and is accused of perpetrating a bomb hoax.
He denies all of the charges.
The trial continues.
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