Lithuanian Man Receives 25-Year Sentence for Murder of Nine-Year-Old Girl
A Lithuanian fruit picker who stabbed a nine-year-old girl to death as she played outside with her hula hoop has been jailed for a minimum of twenty-five years. Deividas Skebas, now twenty-six years old, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court for the unthinkable murder of Lilia Valytute in Boston, Lincolnshire.
Chilling Details of the Attack
The court heard that on the evening of July 28, 2022, Skebas lay in wait for other people to leave the area before approaching the schoolgirl and stabbing her once through the heart. Lilia died in her mother's arms less than an hour later following the random and brutal attack. CCTV footage from before the incident showed Lilia as a carefree, happy girl who should have been safe while playing with her hula hoop.
Mr Justice Akhlaq Choudhury, presiding over the case, stated: How could anyone imagine that within seconds she would be stabbed by a complete stranger and left to die? Yours was a shocking and horrific act of violence. Nothing I can do or say today can relieve the pain of losing Lilia.
Mental Health and Legal Proceedings
Skebas, who was not present in court and appeared via video link from Rampton Hospital, a high-security psychiatric unit in Nottinghamshire, had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to his schizophrenia. However, a jury convicted him of murder after a trial that began in January. Prosecutors argued that despite his mental health condition, Skebas knew what he was doing at the time of the stabbing and took actions to avoid detection.
The court heard that Skebas was a regular cannabis user despite being aware of the impact it could have on his mental health. He told police he was being controlled by a microchip implanted by NASA and heard voices in his head. Initially found unfit to stand trial in 2023, he was reassessed last year and deemed fit to participate in a criminal trial.
Premeditation and Aftermath
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Skebas had purchased an ordinary kitchen knife from a Wilko store in Boston two days before the murder. He was seen on CCTV prowling around the same area in Boston, apparently in search of a victim. After the attack, he shaved his beard, hid the knife behind a radiator, and attempted to leave the country on a bus to Lithuania.
Prosecutor Marc Thompson of the Crown Prosecution Service East Midlands said: We were determined that the perpetrator of this crime would face the full force of justice for what he did. Our case has always been that this was an unspeakable, deliberate act and not, as Skebas has claimed, the result of a mental abnormality.
Victim Impact Statements
In a moving victim impact statement read by her husband, Aurelijus Savickas, Lilia's mother, Lina Savickiene, described her grief as not something you recover from. She said: She was my firstborn. On the day she was born, we almost died – we fought for each other's lives. And where are we now? This is not something you recover from. The child will not return. Why her? Why us?
Mrs Savickiene, who was elected as an independent local councillor after her daughter's death, even visited Skebas' hometown in Lithuania to try to find answers, but found none. Lilia's stepfather, Mr Savickas, added: I have attended many funerals in my life, but nothing prepared me for losing a child. There are no words to describe that pain. It left scars on our hearts that will never fully heal.
Background and Previous Incidents
The jury heard that Skebas had a history of mental health issues, having been detained under the Mental Health Act in 2020 after showing signs of psychosis when attacking another person with pepper spray. He was discharged to his native Lithuania but legally returned to the UK via Folkestone on July 2, 2022, just weeks before the murder.
Police paid tribute to Lilia's friends and family for their remarkable strength, dignity, patience, and understanding as they waited almost four years for justice to be served. The case highlights the complex interplay between mental health, substance abuse, and violent crime, leaving a community in mourning and a family forever changed.
