Man guilty of murdering girl, 9, playing in street

A man has been found guilty of murdering a nine-year-old girl as she played in the street.

Deividas Skebas stabbed Lilia Valutyte in a random attack outside the shop where her mother worked in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 28 July 2022.

The 26-year-old admitted killing Lilia but denied her murder, claiming his responsibility was diminished by his mental state. However, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court convicted him following a trial.

Skebas, formerly of Thorold Street, Boston, was remanded in custody. He will be sentenced on 25 February.

• The 'heinous' child killing that shook a town and the fight for justice

Lilia had been playing with a hula hoop with a friend outside her mother's shop on Fountain Lane.

Shortly after 18:20 BST, the pair were approached by Skebas who reached out and stabbed Lilia once in the chest.

Her mother, Lina Savicke, remembers hearing Lilia call her name before she rushed into the street to see her daughter still clutching the hoop and, moments later, collapsing into her arms.

The court heard that, despite the efforts of an off-duty police officer, doctors and paramedics, Lilia died within an hour of being stabbed.

Skebas, who had no connection to Lilia, was arrested at his home two days after the attack, and the paring knife he had recently bought from a local shop was found behind a radiator.

He was found unfit to stand trial in the months after the stabbing and was later transferred to Rampton high security hospital.

In July 2023, a jury found Skebas carried out the act of killing Lilia, and, two years later, following an improvement in his mental health, it was decided he could face a murder trial.

During the trial, the jury was told Skebas was assessed by three psychiatrists.

All three doctors agreed Skebas had schizophrenia and was showing symptoms of psychosis on the day he killed Lilia.

But the prosecution rejected Skebas's claim of diminished responsibility and alleged the killing was "deliberate and planned".

Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC told the court it was a "wicked act", adding Skebas knew he was "killing a child".

The jury found Skebas guilty of Lilia's murder by an 11 to one majority verdict after deliberating for more than seven hours.

Skebas appeared on a video link from Rampton Hospital to hear the verdict and did not appear to show any emotion.

He stared straight ahead as the statement of Lilia's mother, Lina Savicke, was read out.

It began by stating Lilia would have turned 13 on Monday this week.

"Over these years of loss, both I and my entire family have lived through so much.

"Tears and pain cannot wash away everything we feel."

The statement added: "What parent ever thinks they will have to bury their own child?"

Speaking in court, Aurelijus Savickas, Lilia's stepdad, said: "I came into her life when she was just three years young.

"From that moment on, we loved our journey together through the good days and the bad.

"I loved her as my own. She was a beautiful soul with a strong character and strong personality."

As the family impact statements were read out in court, several people could be seen wiping tears from their faces.

The judge Mr Justice Choudhury excused the jury from further jury service for ten years.

Addressing them, he said: "I appreciate it has been a difficult experience for you."

Det Chief Insp Jennifer Lovett, from Lincolnshire Police, said: "It's taken us three-and-a-half years to bring Skebas to justice.

"It's not lost on me how difficult that must have been for Lilia's family."

She added: "It's been one of our most high-profile investigations that Lincolnshire Police has had."

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