A man with schizophrenia fatally stabbed a nine-year-old girl while she was playing with a hula hoop in the street, a court trial revealed.
Deividas Skebas carried out the attack on Lilia Valutyte on Fountain Lane in Boston, Lincolnshire, on July 28, 2022, while her mother was working nearby. Skebas, aged 23, had recently returned to the UK from Lithuania before the incident. He denies the charge of murder but acknowledges manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.
The court informed jurors that there is no dispute regarding Skebas stabbing and causing the death of Lilia. However, the jury must determine Skebas’ mental state at the time of the offense.
Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC presented the case against Skebas at Lincoln Crown Court, emphasizing the gravity of the intentional murder. Donnellan urged the jury to set aside emotions and focus on the facts, stating that Skebas was aware of the wrongfulness of his actions and the consequences of killing a child.
According to Donnellan, Lilia was playing with a hula hoop outside a shop where her mother worked in Boston town center around 6:15 pm. The street was devoid of traffic and pedestrians when Skebas, waiting nearby, suddenly approached Lilia from the Wormgate end of Fountain Lane.
Donnellan described how Skebas quickened his pace, drew a knife from his back pocket, and thrust it into Lilia’s chest, causing her to fall back against a nearby shop shutter. The fatal wound pierced her heart, leading to her collapse on the street as Skebas fled the scene.
An off-duty police officer pursued Skebas initially but shifted focus to providing aid to Lilia upon hearing distress sounds. Unfortunately, Lilia succumbed to her injuries at approximately 7:11 pm, less than an hour after the attack.
The court learned that Skebas had purchased a paring knife two days before the incident and mentioned notions of external control over his actions, referencing Nasa and a microchip after his arrest. Experts diagnosed Skebas with schizophrenia, leading to his plea of manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
Skebas, who had a history of mental health treatment in both the UK and Lithuania, had previously assaulted someone with pepper spray in the UK in 2020 before returning to Lithuania. He legally re-entered the UK on July 2, 2022, with uncertain motives, possibly related to work.
The trial remains ongoing.
