Reagan Asbury death: Woman jailed for taking cash to killer
A woman who gave £3,000 and a mobile phone to a killer on the run has been jailed for two years.
Tyrone Andrew, 22, fled to Amsterdam after stabbing Reagan Asbury, 19, in the neck during a mass brawl at a boxing event at Walsall Town Hall. Melisa Birkinshaw, 22, flew to Holland to give Andrew the phone and cash, which had been deposited into her account by his associates. She admitted perverting the course of justice. Andrew was jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of manslaughter last August. Defence lawyer William Bennett said: "She [Birkinshaw] was on friendly terms with [Andrew] but she, to a certain extent, was frightened of him and wary of him." Passing sentence at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Simon Drew QC accepted Birkinshaw, of Cavendish Court, Derby, had been "naive." "You must have made the (account) details available and then you set about withdrawing that cash, both in this country and in Amsterdam," he said. "That money clearly was being used to fund him while he was on the run abroad. "As a direct consequence of your actions he was able to flee the authorities in this country and abroad for more than two months." Two other defendants have already been jailed for perverting the course of justice in a previous trial. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.