Experienced prison staff were fooled and Ahmed, who was awaiting sentence for property fraud offences, strolled out of the prison gates a free man.
But the plan went up in smoke when he used the same method to try to break out two more inmates – Charlie Whittaker, who was jailed for his involvement in a melee which resulted in the death of a mum in Jaywick, and Adam Mohamed, a drug dealer who Ahmed took a shine to in prison.
Neither Whittaker nor Mohamed were released after the influx of letters triggered suspicions, and Ahmed was later returned behind bars.
Six people have now been convicted of their roles in the conspiracy.
Judge Mary Loram KC, sitting at Chelmsford Crown Court, described it as a “very meticulously planned” scheme.
Ahmed, 36, of Woodman Road in Brentwood, and Whittaker, 28, of Bemerton Gardens in Kirby Cross, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, September 9 to conspiracy to escape prison.
Aaruan Noor Ali, 20, of Monteagle Avenue in Barking – described as the “tech man” behind the scene – admitted the same offence.
Charlie’s mum 49-year-old Charlotte Whittaker, who shared the same address as her son, pleaded guilty to the same charge after she provided details used in her son’s forged letter.
Nazash Akhtar, 37, of Collerne Street in Harold Hill, admitted she did the same on behalf of Ahmed.
Judge Mary Loram KC 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 is 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.”
The six defendants will be sentenced in October.
Judge Loram 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 face an immediate term of imprisonment.”
In November 2023, after he was returned to prison, Ahmed was sentenced to four years for the fraud-related offences he was initially in for.
Ahmed had used several doctor and GP aliases in attempts to rent or buy multi-million-pound properties.
Charlie Whittaker was serving a one-year sentence for actual bodily harm in relation to a violent incident in Jaywick.
Gym instructor Michelle Cooper, 40, died after she was punched during the incident – another man was found guilty of her manslaughter.
