A British court has sentenced former soldier Daniel Khalife to 14 years and three months in prison for spying for Iran and escaping prison.
Khalife, whose prison break in 2023 made international headlines, was found guilty of spying for Tehran last November.
The judge, Parmjit Kaur Cheema-Grubb, described Khalife during his sentencing on February 3 as a "dangerous fool" who was initially driven by "a selfish desire to show off" rather than intending to harm the interests of the United Kingdom.
"The mere fact you started on this dangerous and fantastical plan demonstrates your immaturity and lack of wisdom," Cheema-Grubb said.
London-born Khalife, 23, joined the British Army in 2017, and it was not long before he started collecting sensitive information and sharing it with Iranian agents. He was paid in cash and insisted to his handlers that he would rise through the army ranks "very easily."
Khalife escaped from London’s Wandsworth Prison in September 2023 while awaiting trial and spent three days on the run, sparking a massive manhunt.
