The heartbroken parents of a young boy who died after a crash caused by a Bulgarian national have shared a photograph of their son, 15 months after the tragedy that shattered their family.
Hristo Iliev, 32, drove into the rear of another car near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, at about 4.45pm on March 19 last year, after spending roughly seven minutes watching TikTok videos behind the wheel.
Finley’s mother, Chloe Baker, had been taking her toddler home from an after-school club when Iliev’s Volkswagen Passat ploughed into the back of her Kia.
The collision was so severe that Mrs Baker’s car was pushed into a stationary vehicle ahead. Finley was left unresponsive, while another child travelling in the car lost consciousness for four minutes.
Finley suffered a devastating head injury and was flown to hospital by air ambulance. Two days later, his life support was withdrawn as he lay in the arms of his parents, Chloe and Daniel Baker.
Following Iliev’s sentencing last month to more than 11 years in prison, Finley’s parents condemned the “appalling choices” that led to their son’s death.
In an emotional statement, they said: “On Sunday, July 9, 2023, Finley Thomas Baker came into the world like a little ray of sunshine. He was the missing piece of our family puzzle — deeply loved and so desperately wanted.”
Finley, who was 20 months old, was remembered by his parents, Chloe and Daniel Baker, as “a little ray of sunshine”
Hristo Iliev, 32, was jailed for more than 11 years after killing 20-month-old Finley Baker as he used his phone behind the wheel
‘He brought our family so much happiness and we miss him more than words can say. He slotted perfectly into our family and we felt completely fulfilled.
‘As Finley grew, he became kind, loving, curious and brought joy to everyone he met and everywhere he went. He had the most beautiful smile and his bright blue eyes would light up the room.
‘He loved and looked up to his big brother very much. One of their favourite things to do together was dance.
‘There was always music playing in our house and the boys would be found holding hands and dancing around the room laughing together.
‘We loved watching the brotherly bond that was developing between them and the future they were going to have together.
‘Finley was only 20 months old but he already had such a big personality. He filled our house with laughter, fun and perfect chaos.
‘He had a great love of dogs and loved to see them when we were out on a walk. If someone was kind enough to stop and let him stroke one, his little face would light up and he would laugh when the dog wriggled under his touch.
‘Finley loved the outdoors and would often pick up his shoes and coat and bring them to us to let us know he would like to go out.’
Mr and Mrs Baker added that Finley enjoyed reading and riding his indoor balance bike around the house, which he received on his first birthday.
Finley became unresponsive and suffered a catastrophic head injury in the crash. He was airlifted to hospital but tragically died two days later after his life support was switched off
The 20-month-old also loved food and going to nursery, which he always left with a ‘big smile’.
In their touching tribute to Finley, his parents also criticised Iliev for taking their son from them at such a young age and in such avoidable circumstances.
Mr and Mrs Baker said: ‘Appalling choices made the day we lost Finley mean we never get to hear his little voice again.
‘We don’t get to take him to his first day of school, watch him in his first school nativity or sports day.
‘We won’t ever know who he would have become as an adult, we can only guess what kind of future he would have had.
‘We never get to see him get married or have a family of his own. His entire life was stolen from him for the most senseless of reasons.
‘No parent should ever have to outlive their child, let alone lose them in the most horrific way like we did.
‘It splits your life into two, the before and the after and we wouldn’t wish for anyone to live in this after.
‘The Finley shaped hole that has been left in both our lives and hearts will never be filled.
‘Knowing how full of life he was and how much he still had to experience in life, makes his death impossible to accept.
‘We will forever continue to honour and remember him for the beautiful little soul that he was.’
The couple thanked members of the public who stopped to help Mrs Baker on the day of the crash.
They said: ‘We will be forever grateful for your presence, bravery and kindness in our desperate time of need. Your compassion in that moment will never ever be forgotten.’
They also thanked the emergency services for their response to the crash and help in securing justice for their little boy.
Finley’s mother suffered a badly dislocated arm and significant cuts and bruises during the collision.
Lincoln Crown Court previously heard the other child sustained a cut leg and chipped tooth in the crash.
Iliev – who had been caught by police using his phone at the wheel a year before the collision – was repeatedly heard saying ‘oh no, oh no’ at the scene.
The Bulgarian migrant later gave the police a prepared statement in which he denied using his phone and claimed to have maintained a safe distance from Mrs Baker’s car.
But Jeremy Janes, prosecuting, told the court: ‘That simply was not true.’
‘His phone was seized and ultimately that gave up the best evidence of what caused this collision,’ Mr Janes explained.
Analysis of the phone showed that in the seven minutes before the collision Iliev had briefly watched the Apple TV app and unlocked the device on at least two occasions to watch TikTok, partially viewing at least six videos and manually removing nine notifications.
Mr Janes stressed: ‘On any view the use of the mobile phone is prolonged, it is minutes.’
Collision investigators also estimated that Iliev did not take any evasive action until just 20ft (6.4m) away from Mrs Baker’s car.
The court heard Iliev had no previous convictions but had two previous endorsements on his driving licence.
They included an incident in March 2024 where Iliev received six penalty points after a police officer saw him using a mobile phone while driving on the A156 near Gainsborough.
Iliev admitted causing the death of Finley Baker on 21 March last year by driving a Volkswagen Passat dangerously.
The father-of-three, of Boston, also pleaded guilty to a second charge of causing serious injury to Mrs Baker by dangerous driving.
Both of Finley’s parents were present in court and read out moving victim impact statements from the witness box.
Mrs Baker, a teaching assistant, described her son at the time as ‘her beautiful baby boy’ who did not deserve to die because of Iliev’s reckless choices.
She told the court how Finley would help with the weekly shop and loved his balance bike.
‘If only we had known his first birthday was the only one we would celebrate we would have filled it with bikes,’ she said.
‘What happened on our journey home is something I will never get over,’ Mrs Baker explained.
She added it was not fair that Iliev would return to his family after serving his sentence. ‘Mr Iliev stole his whole life and from us,’ Mrs Baker insisted.
Mr Baker explained how the decision to withdraw Finley’s life support was one no parent should have to make.
He said: ‘It has altered us as people forever. We don’t sleep for more than a few hours a night.’
Jon Dee, mitigating for Iliev, said the killer came to the UK as a teenager and ‘has worked, paid taxes and had a family’ during his 15 years in the country.
Judge Simon Hirst said Iliev’s offending was aggravated by his use of the phone, which went way beyond a prolonged conversation, and his previous driving offence.
‘You lied to the police when you denied using your phone,’ he told Iliev.
Judge Hirst added: ‘The reason you did not notice the roundabout approach, Mrs Baker braking, Mrs Baker stopping, is because you were using your phone to watch videos.’
Iliev, who followed the hearing via a Bulgarian interpreter, was also banned from driving for ten and half years and will have to take an automatic retest.
