Daniel Khalife ‘congratulated’ officer who caught him, court told

Asked by defence barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC if he had told Mr Khalife: “Stop, or I’ll shoot,” the officer said: “No.”

The court had heard that on 6 September Mr Khalife had been to Richmond and went to the outdoor clothes chain Mountain Warehouse, and the following day he was pictured in two supermarkets.

The trial had also been told that on the day of the arrest, the former soldier was seen in a McDonald’s.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC previously told the jury Mr Khalife “quite deliberately escaped” after being escorted to the kitchen where he had a job.

His absence was discovered during a headcount and then all movement in the prison was suspended, the jury was told.

Mr Khalife, who was brought up in Kingston, south-west London, by his Iranian-born mother, joined the Army in September 2018, two weeks before his 17th birthday, the court heard.

He also faces charges contrary to the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act, and is accused of perpetrating a bomb hoax, which he denies.

The trial continues.