Suspect Daniel Khalife has pleaded not guilty to escaping Wandsworth prison and people can’t believe it.
The 21-year-old former soldier is accused of escaping custody after allegedly sneaking out of the prison on 6 September.
Police suspected Khalife escaped via the prison kitchen, where he was working, by attaching himself to the underside of a food delivery truck.
After a four-day manhunt, he was apprehended by a plain-clothes counter-terrorism officer who spotted him cycling along a canal towpath in Northolt, west London on 9 September.
On Thursday 21 September, Khalife appeared at the Old Bailey via video link, where he pleaded not guilty to the charge of escaping from HMP Wandsworth.
Khalife was asked, “Are you guilty or not guilty?”. He replied: “I am not guilty.”
Given the worldwide coverage of the events, people have been left shocked, if not impressed, by the absolute audacity of the plea – so much so that “Shaggy” (of 'It Wasn’t Me' fame) began to trend on Twitter.
“Just an incredible flex,” one person argued.
Someone else called it the “The ‘Shaggy’ defence”.
“Maybe Daniel Khalife didn't escape because the outside is the *REAL* prison, eh?” someone else joked.
One person argued: “Daniel Khalife pleading not guilty to escaping prison is so classic him. He wants a trial, he wants the attention, he loves it. Get him in the jungle or CBB immediately.”
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
