CCTV footage shows ex-soldier Daniel Khalife change clothes in McDonald's after 'prison escape'
23 October 2024, 16:27
CCTV footage has shown ex-soldier Daniel Khalife as he changed clothes in McDonald's after his alleged prison escape.
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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.
He used a makeshift sling made of bedsheets between the chassis rails, prosecutors said.
Woolwich Crown Court was shown footage of Khalife leaving his cell on September 6 last year.
He was seen in a blue top and dark trousers as he pulled along a catering trolley.
Khalife was discovered missing during a headcount, sparking a major manhunt, the court heard.
Jurors were shown footage of the former soldier buying clothes from Marks & Spencer, a coffee from McDonald's and walking by the river Thames.
Read more: Ex-British soldier Daniel Khalife left 'dodgy' device at barracks in bomb hoax plot, court hears
CCTV shown to jury shows Daniel Khalife wandering through west London
Footage seen by jurors showed Khalife on the afternoon of September 6 in Whittaker Avenue, Richmond, wearing an olive green shirt and shorts.
He could be seen entering a Mountain Warehouse shop, picking up a blue cap and putting it into his bag before walking out.
Khalife was later shown walking along next to the river and on a towpath towards Richmond Bridge.
Jurors were also shown CCTV from the following day, which showed Khalife walking into a Marks & Spencer store in Kew and buying clothes using cash.
Shortly after 10am, he was seen walking into a shopping centre in Hammersmith and going into a Sainsbury's wearing a face mask.
On September 8, CCTV showed the former soldier visiting a newsagents in Chiswick, where he could be seen buying himself a newspaper.
Footage from September 9, showed Khalife walking into a McDonald's and buying an espresso.
He could also be seen going to the bathroom where he changed his clothes.
Khalife was arrested just before 11am on a canal towpath in west London with a number of items including a mountain bike, a Waitrose bag with a phone, receipts, a diary and about £200 in notes, the jury was told.
The plainclothes detective sergeant said he "jumped out" of his car and "ran down an alleyway to the canal".
Asked about Khalife's demeanour, the officer said: "He was friendly towards me. Quite jovial.
"He was pleasant. He congratulated me on catching him."
The former soldier was then taken into custody.
As well as the prison escape, Khalife 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.
