Girl's killer was mentally unwell, court hears

A man was mentally unwell on the day he stabbed a nine-year-old girl to death, a court has heard.

Lilia Valutyte was playing outside a shop where her mother was working in Boston, Lincolnshire, when she was attacked by Deividas Skebas on 28 July 2022.

Skebas, 26, admits killing Lilia, but denies murder, claiming his responsibility was diminished by his mental state.

A jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told that Skebas was assessed by three psychiatrists who wrote a joint report for his trial.

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

The prosecution has rejected Skebas's claim of diminished responsibility and allege the killing was "deliberate and planned".

The court was shown CCTV footage of Skebas making repeated visits to Fountain Lane, where Lilia was playing with another child, in the hour before the stabbing at about 18:15 BST.

Christopher Donnellan KC, prosecuting, alleged Skebas appeared to be waiting for the street to become quiet and asked the jury to consider why he ignored other members of the public.

Donnellan asked: "There were two children there, he chose Lilia. Why did he choose Lilia?

"As he is doing this he is intending to kill her."

The court heard Skebas had previously received mental health treatment in both his native Lithuania and the UK.

The prosecutor argued Skebas's mental illness did not stop him planning a deliberate murder.

"These are rational actions that he is following through," Mr Donnellan claimed.

The court heard Skebas was arrested at his home two days later and the paring knife he had recently bought from a local shop was found behind a radiator.

Skebas, formerly of Thorold Street, Boston, denies murder.

The trial continues.

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