Jurors retire to reach verdict in former Staffordshire soldier accused of spying

A jury has retired to convict a former soldier accused of spying for Iran.

Daniel Khalife, 23, who has already admitted to escaping from prison, is accused of collecting classified information and passing it on to agents in a Middle Eastern country.

Prosecutors say he played a “cynical game” by claiming he wanted a career as a double agent to help British security services, when in fact he collected “a very large volume of restricted and classified material.”

It is alleged that he secretly collected the names of military personnel, including special forces personnel.

The former soldier, who was once based at Stafford Barracks, photographed a handwritten list of 15 military personnel, including from the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service, who were sent an internal promotion table in June 2021, his trial trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

He denied ever sending the list to the Iranians and claimed that he mostly sent useless or fictitious documents.

Advocate Khalife Gul Nawaz Hussain K.S. said his double-agent plot was “unfortunate” and “sometimes bordering on farcical”, more “Scooby-Doo” than “007”.

The former soldier is also accused of planting a fake bomb in his barracks when he realized he was facing criminal charges.

He escaped from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London in September 2023 by climbing under a food delivery truck.

Sending out the jury, trial judge Ms Justice Cheema-Grubb said: “It is time to ask you to stand down and consider your sentences. You should spend as much time as you think is necessary.”

Khalifeh denies the charges under the Official Secrets Act and the Terrorism Act and denies staging the bomb.