A conman who was locked up for posing as a doctor in a bid to buy a £2million home went on to escape prison – by faking his get-out-of-jail letter.
Junead Ahmed, 36, was found guilty for his 2023 crime and awaiting sentence when the fraudster managed to hoodwink prison bosses into releasing him.
In an audacious escape, conman Ahmed tricked officials at HMP Chelmsford with a fake High Court letter claiming he had been approved for release.
Ahmed, of Brentwood, Essex, was able to leave the prison – in scenes reminiscent of Stephen Spielberg’s film Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio – who played a fraudster who repeatedly dodged the law with outlandish cons.
But the plan unravelled when he tried to pull the same trick to secure the release of two fellow inmates, which sparked suspicion, resulting in neither being released, and Ahmed was returned to custody.
In November 2023, he was jailed for four years for his six original fraud offences, after he admitted to posing as a doctor in order to rent a property he could not afford and buy a home worth more than £2million.
But Ahmed now faces a further sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to escape prison.
Five others involved in the plot have also been convicted and will be sentenced in October.
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
Judge Mary Loram KC, sitting at Chelmsford Crown Court, described the scheme as ‘very meticulously planned’.
She said: ‘Nothing can detract from the fact that the very meticulously planned escape here, even if it didn’t involve any violence threatened towards staff, is still a really serious offence.
‘I’m not going to say anything other than that anyone involved in that inevitably faces an immediate term of imprisonment.’
Ahmed managed to escape jail in June 2023. He tried to use his technique to break out fellow inmates Charlie Whittaker and Adam Mohamed.
Whittaker was serving a one-year sentence for his part in a fight which resulted in the death of a mother in Jaywick, Essex and Adam Mohamed was in custody for drug-related offences.
Judge Loram KC said Ahmed had grown fond of Mohamed during his time in prison.
She told Chelmsford Crown Court: ‘Adam Mohamed was somebody who Junead Ahmed looked kindly on during his time in prison, so he decided to make him the recipient of his newfound way of getting out of prison after it worked for him.’
Ahmed’s case has parallels with Stephen Spielberg’s film Catch Me If You Can, where the character Frank Abagnale, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, pretended to be a doctor, pilot and a lawyer, to commit fraud across the United States. Pictured: The 2002 film
Ahmed was said to have bragged to his wife: ‘I’m going to change his [Mohamed’s] life. He has such a great heart. He will die for me. I will release him.’
Like Ahmed, Whittaker, 28, admitted to conspiracy to escape prison, while Mohamed, 29, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of attempting to escape from lawful custody.
Meanwhile, Whittaker’s mother, Charlotte Whittaker, 49, admitted to providing details used in her son’s forged letter, while Nazash Akhtar, 37, admitted she did the same on behalf of Ahmed.
Also involved in the scheme was Aaruan Noor Ali, 20, who was said to have been the ‘tech man’. He also admitted to conspiracy to escape prison.
Ahmed’s case has parallels with Stephen Spielberg’s film Catch Me If You Can, where the character Frank Abagnale, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, pretended to be a pilot, doctor and lawyer to commit fraud across the United States.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: ‘This was an isolated incident, and the prisoner was returned to custody. We have since tightened checks so this kind of fraud cannot happen again.’
