A former soldier accused of spying for Iran has pleaded guilty to escaping from prison under a food catering truck and going on the run for four days while he was awaiting trial.
Daniel Khalife, 23, from Kingston, southwest London, changed his plea to a charge of escaping from lawful custody, halfway through giving evidence at Woolwich Crown Court.
The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb, told the jury: “In your absence, I have asked Mr Khalife if he wants count four put to him again.
“He has admitted he was in lawful custody and has admitted he has deliberately escaped and therefore there is no lawful defence to that charge.”
The charge was put to him again and Khalife, dressed in a white shirt, chinos, a blue knitted waistcoat and white trainers, answered: “I’m guilty.”
He faces cross-examination on the spying charges today.
Khalife is accused of spending two years passing secrets to the Iranians while serving with the Royal Corps of Signals but denies the charges, saying he only handed over fabricated documents in an attempt to become a double agent.
His defence lawyer said earlier during the trial that police only began investigating him because he “contacted MI6 and MI5” to offer his services.
After he was charged under the Official Secrets Act, he escaped from prison under a food catering van on 6 September last year, causing a nationwide manhunt.
Prosecutors say he intended to defect to Iran while on the run, when he used a phone he had bought to contact his handlers, but Khalife told the court: “I was not thinking straight. I was not looking for any help to aid the escape, I made contact out of curiosity. I was curious to see what the sentiment was within the [Iranian] state.”
He said that he had hatched his plan to escape from prison after he was told in July last year that he was being transferred to Belmarsh maximum security jail, ahead of his trial in Woolwich Crown Court next door.
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