Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

In response to what the defence said, prosecutor Mark Heywood KC says Daniel Khalife contacted MI6 (the UK foreign intelligence service) by a contact form twice, but did not reference his job as a serving soldier.

When he spoke to MI5 (the UK's domestic intelligence service) he did not identify himself or his role.

"There was no reference to the British Army," Heywood adds.

Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, for the mitigation, now accepts that.

Submissions from the prosecution and defence are now over and the judge has risen.

After this short break the judge will return to deliver sentencing remarks - which we will show here, live from the court.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Referring to when Daniel Khalife was recaptured by a police officer after his escape from prison Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, mitigating, says: "Mr Khalife offered no resistance, was polite and ultimately congratulated him."

The court hears that Daniel Khalife told a probation officer writing his pre-sentence report that "it was wrong to use my army training to escape".

Image source, PA Media

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Hussain, mitigating, says Khalife's actions "clearly did begin to morph" and that "there was an upward move from what was fabricated".

"Mr Khalife did contact the security services MI5 and MI6 multiple times" which are "not the actions of a 100% bona fide spy," argues Hussain.

"It is unfortunate that when he did contact MI6...somebody didn't take hold of this. It would have nipped this in the bud."

"This offending occurred between the ages of 17 and 20," Hussain continues. This does not include Khalife's escape from prison.

"Gross overestimation of ability underpins the majority of this offending," Hussain tells the court.

"His youth and associated traits are relevant to the offending."

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Khalife's defence barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC is on his feet and he makes the comparison again between Scooby Doo and 007.

"What Daniel Khalife clearly chose to do was not born of malice, was not born of greed, religious fervour or ideological intention," he tells the judge in mitigation.

"Had he been a genuine spy he would not have behaved as he did.

"It is the sending of clearly fake and at times laughably fake documents that stops this case being put in the box of straightforward espionage."

The court hears that, speaking to a police officer after his recapture Daniel Khalife, said: "I didn’t think little Susie trying to go to Ibiza is gonna get her plane cancelled...

"That was bad like, see when I saw the lorries getting stopped I was like... the whole country’s getting [annoyed] yeah that was a bit, that was not to plan."

(NB: Some expletives have been removed)

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

For Count 4 - Khalife's escape from prison - the court hears:

• Many hundreds of officers were deployed. At one stage, over 150 officers were on duty at one time specifically tasked with locating him in west London
• The approximate cost in police overtime was over £250,000
• The policing operation took resources away from other important policing activity for as long as the manhunt lasted
• The operation included utilisation of specialist assets including the National Police Air Service (‘NPAS’), dog units, specialist search and the Territorial Support Group (‘TSG’) – all at an additional cost
• The impact on borders policing was significant, with costs in six figures. The disruption to members of the public at airports and ports, many of whom were trying to go on holiday, was very substantial

The prosecution says use of carabiners and the sling made of kitchen trousers, in addition to a previous unsuccessful attempt on 21 August 2023, demonstrate "that the escape was both carefully planned and sophisticated".

Khalife did not hand himself into a police station or deliberately make himself known to police officers, the court hears. Once he escaped he somebody gave him £400 cash from a cash machine - he admitted in evidence that this was a contact whose details he had recorded in his notebook.

He contacted an Iranian agent while on the run.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Heywood outlines the assessment of harm for Count 2 - breaching the Terrorism Act by "eliciting information about individuals who are members of His Majesty’s Forces".

These were members of the protected population in roles of the highest sensitivity.

It includes individuals in the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service. And, most conspicuously, Soldier TT, who was in E Squadron, a particularly secretive unit.

The screenshots showed the soldiers’ first names, surnames and service numbers. With or without the additional information, this would be highly valuable to a terrorist given the sensitivity of these roles.

One screenshot would be enough for this offence to be committed. Khalife took seven of them.

Khalife's actions clear risk of death or serious injury to the individuals identified and/or their family members.

"It is open to the court to conclude that the purpose for this activity was to indicate to his handlers that he had access to this information," says Heywood.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Heywood outlines the mitigating features of Count 1 - the Official Secrets Act count.

The prosecution says the court should hesitate before treating Khalife's age as a mitigating feature.

The court has Dr Harry Wood’s psychological report from 2023 diagnosing Khalife with Antisocial Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

The court will need to consider the guidelines on sentencing offenders with mental disorders, developmental disorders, or neurological impairments, the prosecution says.

But the prosecution does not accept that there should be any significant reduction in relation to culpability.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

On Count 1 - breaking the Official Secrets Act - the court hears:

• The offending lasted for almost two years. The contact with several different Iranian agents during this period appears to have been substantial
• Khalife betrayed the trust of his superiors and his colleagues
• He received two separate payments from his handlers
• Khalife travelled to Istanbul, a destination deliberately selected so that his trip would not arouse suspicion.
• He initiated the contact with Iranian agents himself on Facebook - he was not specifically targeted by them

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Mark Heywood KC for the prosecution moves to Count 1 - breaching the Official Secrets Act. As a reminder, Khalife was found guilty of this offence last year.

The maximum prison sentence for the offence is 14 years.

Heywood says the records of Khalife's offending are incomplete as he deleted a lot of his messages.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

At the trial, the jury heard that Daniel Khalife told police that: "There was not a lot of money [at home].

"I was good at it; I used to steal it like I owned it. Mostly food.

"But one of my friends got caught, so I got caught. I had to do this one-day course and the guy [the facilitator] loved me.

"I was not like the others. I am different. I don’t belong in any group."

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Mark Heywood KC reminds the court of Daniel Khalife's previous convictions in 2017 and 2021.

In January 2017, he was given a community resolution for shoplifting from John Lewis and Bentalls in Kingston when he was 15.

On 1 December 2021 he was convicted at Dudley Magistrates’ Court of travelling on a railway on 3 June 2021 without paying the fare.

He was fined £220 and required to pay £12.20 compensation, £179 costs and the victim surcharge.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb has arrived, wearing the red robes of a high court judge. As has Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, Khalife's defence barrister, and prosecution barrister Mark Heywood KC.

Hussain says that Khalife had been stuck in the tunnel that connects Belmarsh Prison with Woolwich Crown Court.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Woolwich Crown Court

Daniel Khalife has been brought into the dock. He is wearing a black jumper, and has three dock officers sitting behind him.

Five members of the jury have returned to see the sentencing. They have taken their place in the front row of the jury box.

Jurors are always given the option to return to witness the sentencing.

There has been a slight delay at Woolwich Crown Court in the sentencing hearing of Daniel Khalife.

It should begin soon - stick with us for all the updates from inside court.

Daniel Sandford

Khalife was born in London in 2001, to a British-Iranian mother and a British-Lebanese father. His parents soon broke up, and he has had little contact with his father.

At secondary school in south-west London, many of Khalife's friends came from well-off families and he felt ashamed of his relative poverty. He struggled to focus at school but managed to get 10 GCSEs.

Aged 15, Khalife was caught stealing goods from a shop by using a powerful magnet to remove security tags.

"I have always had a gift for exposing flaws in security," he told the jury during his trial.

He said his mother was very strict and that he "wanted to get away from home" and "to feel what it would be like to be free".

So in September 2018, at the age of 16, Khalife joined the Army.

A soldier who trained alongside him at the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, told the BBC Khalife stood out for his cockiness, arrogance and over-confidence.

"He seemed to want the spotlight. He liked to be the centre of attention and be the big show-off character," he said. "He tested the patience of most of us - especially the corporals."

• Read Daniel Sandford's full article on Daniel Khalife here

Welcome to our live coverage of the sentencing of ex-British soldier Daniel Khalife.

In September 2023, Khalife escaped from Wandsworth Prison by clinging to a food lorry, before being arrested on a canal towpath days later.

Last year he pleaded guilty to escaping, and was found guilty of spying for Iran.

The prosecution and defence are about to make final submissions, before the judge begins his sentencing remarks, which you'll be able to watch live on this page.

Image source, PA Media