Driver who killed 20-month-old while watching TikTok jailed for over 11 years

A man who killed a 20-month-old boy while watching TikTok behind the wheel has been sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison, more than a year after the fatal crash on a Lincolnshire road.

Hristo Iliev, 32, was sentenced on Thursday, 11 June, after pleading guilty to one charge of causing death by dangerous driving and one charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, Lincolnshire Police said in a statement.

How the crash unfolded

Finley Baker was seated in the back of his mother's car, properly restrained in his child seat, when Iliev's vehicle ploughed into the car from behind as it approached a roundabout in slow-moving traffic on 19 March 2025. The force of the impact pushed Finley's mother's car into the vehicle ahead of it, creating a three-way collision. Finley sustained grievous injuries and died two days later.

His eight-year-old sibling was also in the car at the time of the crash. Their mother, Chloe Baker, suffered severe shoulder injuries and later had to undergo major reconstructive surgery.

TikTok and Apple TV accessed minutes before impact

The investigation established that Iliev had been on his phone in the minutes leading up to the crash, accessing both TikTok and Apple TV and uploading and downloading videos. Examination of his electronic devices confirmed he was actively watching a TikTok video in the moments immediately before his vehicle struck Chloe Baker's car.

Family's 15-month wait for justice

Since Finley's death, his parents have kept his memory alive through their Facebook page, documenting their pursuit of justice and raising funds for the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance in his honour. Loved ones have also run in a marathon as a tribute to the toddler.

On the eve of sentencing, Chloe shared a photograph of Finley joyfully clutching a toy alongside a message to her followers. "We've waited nearly 15 months to say this," she wrote, "but tomorrow we will get justice Finley."