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

Lilia Valutyte, nine, was playing outside her mother's shop in Boston, Lincolnshire, when she was stabbed in the heart by Deividas Skebas on 28 July 2022. After a jury found him guilty of her murder on Thursday, prosecutors told of their determination to get justice for Lilia.

When her mother reached her, Lilia was still clutching the hula hoop she had been playing with when Skebas plunged a knife into her chest.

Moments later, the schoolgirl collapsed, dying, into her mother's arms, with Home Office pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton telling the trial at Lincoln Crown Court the knife had "effectively entered her heart", causing "severe and fatal internal bleeding".

In a flash, on that Boston street, as the evening sun faded, a young life ebbed away and her mother Lina Savicke's life was left in tatters.

• Man guilty of murdering girl, 9, playing in street

This close-knit, historic market town struggled to comprehend events, and many of its residents will remember the sight of Lilia's tiny white coffin, adorned with butterflies, passing through its streets.

Skebas, 26, admitted killing Lilia, but denied murder, claiming his responsibility was diminished by his mental state, but this was not accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service, and his not guilty plea to murder forced a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.

The court was shown CCTV images of the 69 minutes leading up to the stabbing. Skebas was shown repeatedly walking around the town centre.

Skebas, who had no connection to Lilia, chose not to give evidence at his trial, depriving Lilia's family of learning - directly from the killer - why she was singled out.

Speaking after the jury returned its verdict, Marc Thompson, district Crown prosecutor for Lincolnshire, said the "sudden and tragic" death had "shook the community".

His words echoed those of the Reverend Jane Robertson who, during Lilia's funeral, had told the congregation how the feeling of anger in the town was "real and valid".

Prosecutors, though mindful of the need to ensure Skebas had a fair trial, were determined to get justice for Lilia and her family.

Thompson added: "The CPS was determined that he would face the full force of justice for the intent behind what he did."

He admitted it had been a "lengthy process" for Lilia's family, as prosecutors sought to convince the jury that Skebas had set out to kill that day.

In his police interview, conducted the day after he was arrested, Skebas told police, "I would like you to contact Nasa" and insisted the US space agency could help.

Speaking in broken English, the Lithuanian national told them he had been "brainwashed" and was being controlled by a microchip given to him in a piece of rice in Norway.

Thompson said the Crown Prosecution Service had decided, once Skebas was declared fit, that it was in the public interest to proceed to trial.

"A trial of murder isn't about the act of killing, it's about the intent of the person doing that act - that they intended to kill or cause really serious harm to another," he explained.

"Clearly, a heinous crime that was committed in the open street and the Crown Prosecution Service was committed to bringing the defendant to justice.

"Our case has always been that this was an unspeakable but deliberate act, not as a result of a mental abnormality as Mr Skebas had claimed."

The trial heard Skebas was detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act in 2020 after showing signs of psychosis when he attacked another person with pepper spray.

Skebas was discharged from the hospital to his native Lithuania but legally returned to the UK, via Folkstone, on 2 July 2022.

He arrived in Boston where he shared a multi-occupancy home in Thorold Street, living in the TV room. One resident told authorities he believed Skebas was on holiday.

Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC said it was not clear why Skebas had returned to the UK, but added it may have been for work reasons although there was little evidence of him searching for employment.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr Ian Cumming - called by the defence to give evidence - told the court he was "confident" Skebas was psychotic.

He described him as "distracted, not focussed, guarded, suspicious and evasive".

Skebas has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, the court was told.

Speaking to the BBC in 2023, Lina recalled the horror of that summer's evening.

"I just heard 'Mum!', she said.

"I went outside. I saw there was blood and she was with a hula hoop and the hula hoop was bent. I straight away said, 'Lilia what has happened?' I took the hula hoop and she was still standing. She fell into my hands. I started to shout for..."

As she spoke, Lina's face creased and she cupped it in her hands.

"I started to shout for help," she sobbed.

Mid flow, the tense of her sentences changed from the past to the present, almost as if she was transported back to the moment her life imploded.

"They [emergency crews] take me inside and I realise that she has gone, and they are not rushing or anything," she said.

Returning to Lilia's family, Thompson added: "They [Lilia's family] have been forced to wait for Mr Skebas to be fit to take part in the trial and I'd like to pay tribute to their resilience and patience with the process and hope that seeing justice being served will be of some comfort to them.

"Our [CPS] thoughts are with them and to all who feel Lilia's loss so keenly."

On Monday, Lilia should have turned 13.

Skebas will be sentenced at a later date.

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