Fraudster jailed for role in conspiracy to escape from HMP Chelmsford
A man was wrongly released from prison after staff were fooled by a fake document
A convicted fraudster who was wrongly released from prison after staff were fooled by a fake document ordering that he be released on bail has been jailed for three years and three months for his role in a conspiracy to escape from custody.
The document, emailed to HMP Chelmsford and purporting to be from the Royal Courts of Justice, was sent by an email address ending .org rather than .gov, Chelmsford Crown Court was told.
Prosecutor Jerry Hayes said it "wasn't a very good forgery" but "staff at HMP Chelmsford were fooled by this forgery and released" Junead Ahmed on June 21 2023.
Ahmed, 36, of Shenfield, Essex, had been on remand and was awaiting sentence for fraud offences at the time.
Mr Hayes described Ahmed as the "kingpin or the criminal mastermind" behind the scheme but that he was helped by others.
He said Ahmed was at large for 43 hours before police found him hiding in his loft, after the prison was emailed further fake documents attempting to secure the release of two more prisoners, and staff realised the forgery and Ahmed's wrongful release.
The further fake documents had ordered the release of Charlie Whittaker and Adam Mohamed, who were both on remand.
The emails were sent from the same email address.
After further checks the documents were recognised to be fake and did not lead to the release of the two men.
Mr Hayes said the email that led to Ahmed's release had an attachment stating it was an "order of judgment" and the document stated he was to receive bail.
He said it had Ahmed's case number and the offences for which he was remanded in custody and a court identifying mark at the top.
He said that a phone number, on the email attachment that was purportedly from the Royal Courts of Justice, was for HMP Chelmsford itself.
Judge Mary Loram described Ahmed as the "prime mover" in the case and jailed him for three years and three months in his absence.
Ahmed refused to attend court on Monday, but had admitted at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to escape lawful custody.
The judge said that the case "undermines the public trust in the criminal justice system", adding that it was "undoubtedly a well-planned, sophisticated plot".
Alphege Bell, for Ahmed, told the judge that the "issue of prisoners leaving prison is somewhat topical".
He said Ahmed was concerned that the "background of, shall I say, government embarrassment" did not play a part in the sentencing.
Migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, whose case sparked protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers around the country, was wrongfully freed from HMP Chelmsford in October, before he was detained and deported to Ethiopia later that month.
The judge told Mr Bell that the offending was not "aggravated by the recent events".
The judge said that the idea for the scheme was Ahmed's "but as he was in prison he needed help".
She jailed 20-year-old Aaryan Noor Ali, who she described as the creator of the forged documents, for two years and two months.
She noted that Ali, of Barking, east London, would have been 18 years old at the time of the offence and "would have been more prone to pressure than an older man".
The judge sentenced Ahmed's wife Nazash Akhtar to two years in prison suspended for two years, and ordered that she complete 120 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation requirement days.
She said Akhtar had been under the direction of her husband, there was no evidence she was involved in the attempts to release two more men after her husband's release, and she had three young children.
The court heard that Akhtar was arrested at the family's home address and when asked, after a police officer heard noises, if Ahmed was in the loft she did not answer but nodded slightly.
Charlie Whittaker, 28, of Harwich, Essex did not attend Monday's hearing and is due to be sentenced on December 16.
His mother Charlotte Whittaker, 50, of Kirby Cross, had a "more peripheral role" in supplying a "means of communication", the judge said, as she sentenced her to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months.
She ordered that Whittaker complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation requirement days.
Ahmed, Charlotte Whittaker, Charlie Whittaker, Akhtar and Noor Ali all admitted conspiracy to escape lawful custody at earlier hearings, Essex Police said.
The judge sentenced 29-year-old Adam Mohamed, of Southwark, south London, "who didn't actually do anything particularly proactive", to 10 months in prison suspended for 18 months.
Mohamed pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to attempting to escape lawful custody.
The judge ordered that Mohamed complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation requirement days.
Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston of Essex Police said afterwards: "Investigating this conspiracy was both complex and demanding, but the team approached it with thoroughness and professionalism, making it impossible for the defendants to deny their involvement."