Man jailed for helping killer try to flee country

Rumen Dambinov admitted trying to help his cousin escape after the murder in Boston

A man who helped a murderer try to flee the country has been jailed for two and half years.

Rumen Dambinov allowed Maksim Iliev to hide in his flat and raised money for him to fly to Bulgaria, after Iliev killed Adrian Whiting in a pub in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Iliev, 36, of Union Street, Boston, was jailed for life in October last year.

Dambinov, 32, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court.

Jonathan Cox, prosecuting, said efforts were made to pawn jewellery belonging to Iliev's partner to raise money for flights out of the UK and to provide transport to the airport.

"Mr Dambinov was central to that. He arranged the taxi," Mr Cox said.

Iliev was arrested at Luton Airport before he was able to board his flight.

Passing sentence, Judge Simon Hirst said Dambinov had provided a refuge for Iliev and his partner after the attack.

"Efforts were then made for them to leave the country for Bulgaria," Judge Hirst told Dambinov.

"It must have been clear to you the assault on Mr Whiting was serious."

Adrian Whiting died in hospital after being struck with a baseball bat

Mr Whiting, 36, manager at the Carpenters Arms, was killed when he intervened in a row between Iliev and his partner Katya Tsoneva on 14 January 2024.

CCTV footage shown at the murder trial showed Iliev taking a metal baseball bat from Mr Whiting and striking the father-of-one twice on the head.

He died from his injuries in hospital 10 days later.

Iliev was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years after being convicted of murder.

Tsoneva was later jailed for two years after she helped to gather his belongings and fund the plane ticket for his escape.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices