Man Sentenced to Life for Stabbing Child
Deividas Skebas jailed Lilia Valutyte murder
A Lithuanian national who murdered a nine-year-old girl by stabbing her in the heart as she played in the street has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of twenty-five years. Deividas Skebas, twenty-six, attacked Lilia Valutyte on July 28, 2022, while the child was playing with a hula hoop outside her mother’s embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire. The sentencing took place on Wednesday morning at Lincoln Crown Court, concluding a protracted legal process that saw Skebas initially deemed unfit to stand trial before a jury convicted him of murder earlier this month. Mr. Justice Choudhury described the killing as a “shocking and horrific act of violence” on a carefree and happy child who should have been safe in a pedestrianized area just yards from her mother. Skebas, who has schizophrenia, watched the proceedings via video link from the high-security Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire and remained expressionless throughout the hearing.
The court heard during the trial that Skebas had legally re-entered the United Kingdom just weeks before the attack and had been working as a fruit picker. CCTV footage presented to the jury showed him watching Lilia as she played before approaching her and striking with a paring knife he had purchased from a local Wilko shop two days earlier. The force of the single blow was so severe that it knocked the young girl back against a shop shutter, piercing her heart and causing her to collapse. Lilia’s mother, Lina Savickiene, testified that she rushed outside after hearing a noise and found her daughter pale and covered in blood. Despite the efforts of an off-duty police officer and emergency services, Lilia was pronounced dead at the scene less than an hour later. According to Sky News, prosecutors successfully argued that Skebas acted deliberately and took steps to avoid detection, including shaving off his beard and attempting to flee the country.
Skebas’s defense team had argued that his culpability was diminished by his mental state, citing his delusions and a belief that he was being controlled by an external agency. Following his arrest, the defendant reportedly claimed he could “resurrect” the victim if he was allowed to contact his “controller” at NASA. However, medical experts and the prosecution contended that he maintained a level of awareness and planning that made him legally responsible for murder. The jury deliberated for less than a day before rejecting the plea of manslaughter by diminished responsibility. In his sentencing remarks, the judge noted that Skebas’s past use of drugs, including cannabis and amphetamines, had likely worsened his psychiatric condition. This tragic case follows other high-profile legal updates this week, including the sentencing of former New Haven police leadership and the ICC hearings for Rodrigo Duterte.
In a moving victim impact statement, Lilia’s parents expressed that the grief of losing their daughter is not something one can recover from. They described their stepdaughter as a “beautiful soul” and noted that while justice has been served in the courtroom, the pain of her absence remains a constant burden for the family. The local community in Boston has remained deeply affected by the incident, which occurred during a summer of significant national events, including the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. For those seeking further information on public safety and sentencing guidelines, official government resources provide detailed data on the management of high-risk offenders within the psychiatric hospital system. The Lincolnshire Police have thanked the public for their assistance throughout the investigation, which they described as one of the most difficult in the department’s history.
