A conman who used a fake court order to escape prison after he was locked up for pretending to be a doctor has been jailed once again.
Junead Ahmed was found guilty for his 2023 crime and was on remand when he managed to hoodwink prison bosses into releasing him.
The 36-year-old had been convicted of fraud after he confessed to posing as a doctor in a bid to rent a £2million home that he could not afford.
But as he awaited his sentencing behind bars in HMP Chelmsford, the fraudster made an audacious attempt at an escape.
And when the prison received an email which appeared to be from the Royal Courts of Justice saying Ahmed was to be bailed, they believed it to be genuine.
However, it was the following day when staff realised the mistake after receiving two similarly forged emails authorising the release of two other inmates.
A prison staff member did further checks and found there were no release orders for Adam Mohamed, 20, Charlie Whittaker, 29, or Ahmed himself.
Junead Ahmed, 36, had already been convicted of fraud in 2023 after admitting he posed as a doctor to rent a property he could not afford and then attempted to buy the home
He pulled off a daring escape from HMP Chelmsford in June, above, sending prison staff a fake High Court letter claiming he had been approved for release
Prosecuting, Jerry Hayes, told Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday that the incident was ‘not HMP Chelmsford’s finest hour’.
A prison governor was tricked by the forgery which had been created with a stamp from a Scottish court and was ‘not very good’, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
The court was also told the fake order, which had been sent in June 2023, did not come from an official account but a ‘.org’ email.
It later emerged Ahmed had been using the prison phone system to coordinate the jail breaks.
He had asked for the help of Whittakers mother, Charlotte, his wife, Nazash Akhtar, as well as Aaryan Noor Ali who forged documents.
Ahmed instructed the trio to speak in Bengali in a bid to keep their plan under wraps, while they used terms such as ‘solicitor’ and ‘lawyer’ instead of forger.
It was heard how the conman told his wife that if his escape was successful he would be a ‘gangster’ and that he would be ‘coming home’.
Meanwhile, only minutes after a fake court order was forged for Whittaker, his mother told him to ‘pack up’ his belongings because the door would ‘open at 6 o’clock.’
Fraudster Ahmed was found by police a day and a half later in his wife’s attic in Shenfield, Essex.
Copies of deleted documents previously saved as ‘HMCTS [HM Courts & Tribunals Service]….order of Judgment’ and ‘Orders of Judgment C Whittacker’ were also found on a laptop.
Police also discovered £3,000 which was used to coordinate the one of the other men’s get aways, according to the prosecution.
Ahmed was rearrested on suspicion of escaping from lawful custody, and his co-conspirator Ms Whittaker was later arrested at her home in Kirby Cross near Clacton.
Ms Whittaker’s phone revealed contact between Ahmed and Akhtar, as well as plans made for the escapes of her son and Mohamed.
Security camera footage showed Ahmed being greeted outside by three people, one of which was Ali whose named was recorded as ‘Dr Azid Ali’.
It later emerged his original name was Isaac Muhammad before he changed his name on November 2022, according to passport records.
All those involved were later charged with being involved in a conspiracy to escape lawful custody.
Alphege Bell, representing Ahmed, said he hoped the ‘topical’ nature of their crime as well as recent ‘government embarrassment’ would not impact their sentencing.
‘A clear inspection of the [forged court order] would have raised suspicions if not a flag’ and there was ‘an internal clumsiness in that examination’, he said, according to The Times.
Ahmed, Charlotte Whittaker, Charlie Whittaker, Akhtar and Noor Ali admitted conspiracy to escape lawful custody.
Meanwhile Mohamed admitted attempting to escape lawful custody.
Ahmed – who was described as the prime mover was sentenced to three years and three months in jail.
His wife, Akhtar, was handed a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
Charlotte Whittaker of Kirby Cross, Essex, was handed a suspended sentence of 12-months while also being ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work.
She had previously been convicted of assaulting a police officer and a public order offence. The two incidents both related to her son.
Mohammed, of Southwark, was given a ten-month suspended jail term and was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
Ali, of Barking, was handed a 26-month jail sentence, while Charlie Whittaker is due to be sentenced next week.
Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston commented: ‘The operation, organised and led by Ahmed and his wife Nazash Akhtar, was a sophisticated scheme designed to break three individuals out of custody.
‘But that scheme quickly fell apart once the prison informed us of the incident. We found Ahmed hiding in his loft – and he was arrested – Akhtar was detained at her doorstep, and within a matter of days, the broader conspiracy was exposed and everyone involved was apprehended.’