Daniel Khalife: Anarchy revealed in Wandsworth Prison, where prisoners rule

The Chief Inspector of Prisons has revealed the chaos at Wandsworth’s overcrowded prison, where prisoners tell staff the rules – while questions arise over the “domestic help” fugitive Daniel Khalife received to make a dramatic escape.

Exclusive prescribing The independent, Charlie Taylor described “small, dark and cramped” cells, plagued by damp and vermin, where prisoners are routinely locked up for 22 hours a day with little access to education or training to break the cycle of offending.

As the national manhunt entered its fourth day, police reported the first confirmed sighting of the 21-year-old British Army soldier – who slipped past guards at the Category B prison by clinging to straps placed under a food delivery van – and described him as having a significant lead.

The terror suspect was spotted at Wandsworth roundabout, close to the prison, after jumping from the Bidford food truck he used to flee on Wednesday morning.

The revelation comes when:

Outlining the problems at the aging prison, Mr Taylor said the “biggest problem” facing the Victorian-era prison was the lack of available staff.

An inspection last year found that 30 percent of prison staff were unable to carry out their duties, with the incessant flow of drugs leading to widespread violence. “For years it has been a prison that struggles in every area,” Taylor said.

Speaking about the environment at HMP Wandsworth, whose performance was rated as “serious concern” last year, Mr Taylor said: “Without enough bodies on site to provide these men with a basic prison regime, there are serious consequences.

“Prisoners will not be unlocked in time because there is no one to do it. They will not be able to find education or work because there is no one to guide them. They will not have clean clothes or bedding. The demand, and therefore the supply, of drugs will increase, and with it an illegal economy that leads to debt and violence.”

His comments come as the police operation to find the terror suspect has grown to more than 100 officers, while dozens of members of the public have come forward with potential leads.

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Security officials said so The independent On Thursday, Khalife, a military computer engineer, made a possible attempt to spy for Iran using material he allegedly collected from the Defense Department’s Joint Personnel Administration System.

He is believed to have served as a military computer engineer with the 22 Signal Regiment, whose role is to provide communications support to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), described by one expert as the military’s “main response force”. alliance.

This was said by former NATO analyst Dr. Patrick Bury The independent that ARRC was “a juicy intelligence target” for opponents of the Western military alliance.

Speaking about the role of the 22 Signal Regiment at ARRC, he said: “Obviously it’s sensitive subject matter and you’re dealing with secure communications, meaning all kinds of electronic and radio communications, and satellite and much more, for the actually most important NATO response force.

“So if you have someone on the inside who can provide some information about that, the question is, what access did he have? We’ve seen it [Edward] Snowden how a computer network engineer can often get the entire spectrum, legitimate or not.”

“It’s secure, it’s highly sensitive – it’s a juicy target for intelligence agencies. Why would the Iranians want to do this? To trade, of course, with the Russians, and perhaps also to trade with China,” added Dr Bury, now a defense and security expert at the University of Bath.

Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Mark Rowley appeared to confirm information from intelligence sources on Friday, as revealed by The independent On Thursday, officers were investigating the possibility that Khalife had been helped to escape from HMP Wandsworth.

“The fact that he was able to strap himself to the underside of the car obviously involves some logistics,” Sir Mark told LBC.

“Just thinking about a prison break — how to sort out the logistics of it and get the right equipment, and how you’re going to do that — is probably not something you do on a whim.”

He added: “We will have to look at everything as part of this investigation: did he do this alone? Did anyone in prison help him? Did anyone outside the prison help him?”

Sir Mark warned it was ‘extremely worrying’ that the former Royal Signals Corps soldier was ‘on the run’ and said ‘up to well into three figures’ of officers were now involved in the hunt, alongside the Border Force and troops elsewhere in the country. the country.

Khalife was awaiting trial on three charges, including collecting information likely to be useful to an enemy.

He is also accused of planting fake bombs in his barracks in Stafford before fleeing the military compound and evading capture for a further 25 days.

The Met’s counter-terrorism commander, Dominic Murphy, told reporters on Thursday that it was “a bit unusual” that there had been no sightings of Khalife, which is “perhaps a testament to the ingenuity of Daniel Khalife”.

“He was a trained soldier – so ultimately he has skills that some parts of the public may not have. It’s clear he’s a very resourceful person, and our experience with him shows that, so nothing is off the table with him at this point.”