Two men will face trial over allegations they helped former soldier Daniel Khalife after he escaped from prison.
Adeel Khan, 30, from Waltham Forest, east London, and Imran Chowdhury, 25, of Chingford, east London, are accused of helping Khalife after he escaped from HMP Wandsworth by tying himself to the underside of a food delivery truck in September 2023.
Khan and Chowdhury both denied the charge at a hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday and a trial date was fixed for July 13 2026.
Imran Chowdhury, 25, has denied assisting Daniel Khalife after he escaped from prison (Lucy North/PA)
Khan admitted one count of possession of a phone in prison contrary to Section 40 D(1) of the Prisons Act 1952.
It comes a day after Khalife, 23, was sentenced for spying for Iran after a trial in November 2024.
Jurors at Woolwich Crown Court found he had breached the Official Secrets and Terrorism Acts.
Adeel Khan denied assisting an escaped prisoner but pleaded guilty to possession of a phone in prison (Jonathan Brady/PA)
He had already admitted escaping from Wandsworth prison, but was cleared of carrying out a bomb hoax at the Army barracks where he had been based.
Khalife was sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday.