Deividas Skebas, 26, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years for the murder of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte. The attack took place in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 28 July 2022, as the girl played with a hula hoop outside her mother's embroidery shop.
Skebas, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, stabbed Lilia in the heart. During the trial at Lincoln Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, claiming he was being controlled by Nasa. However, a jury found him guilty of murder on 5 February.
Appearing by video link from Rampton Hospital, a high-security psychiatric unit in Nottinghamshire, Skebas showed no reaction as Mr Justice Choudhury passed the sentence. The court heard that Skebas had entered the UK legally just three weeks before the killing and was working as a fruit picker.
In a victim impact statement read by Lilia's stepfather, her mother Lina Savickiene wrote that the grief was 'not something you recover from'. She described finding her daughter after the attack and cradling her body, saying 'sometimes terrifying thoughts overwhelm the mind'.
Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC described the murder as 'clearly a wicked act', adding that Skebas 'knew his conduct was wrong. He knew he was killing a child.' Defence counsel Andrew Campbell-Tiech KC conceded that Skebas killed Lilia but argued his mental state should reduce the verdict to manslaughter. The judge stated Skebas believed he had 'the power to resurrect' Lilia but only if police contacted 'his controller in Nasa'.
