Life Sentence Imposed for Fatal Stabbing of Nine-Year-Old Girl
A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years for the fatal stabbing of a nine-year-old girl outside her mother's embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire. Deividas Skebas, a 26-year-old Lithuanian national, stabbed Lilia Valutyte in the heart as she played with a hula hoop on 28 July 2022.
Tragic Discovery and Attempted Rescue
Lilia's mother, Lina Savickiene, discovered her daughter covered in blood with the hula hoop still around her. Initially believing the injury might be related to the toy, she desperately shouted for help while trying to cover her daughter's wounds as Lilia grew pale. An off-duty police officer rushed to assist, but tragically, their efforts to save the young girl were unsuccessful.
Legal Proceedings and Mental Health Considerations
Skebas, who has schizophrenia and had returned to the UK just weeks before the attack, denied murder but admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility. He was initially deemed mentally unfit to stand trial in 2023, but that assessment changed in spring 2025, leading to a criminal trial at Lincoln Crown Court beginning in January 2026.
During the trial, jurors were informed there was no dispute that Skebas had killed Lilia, who would have turned 13 this year. The central question was determining his state of mind at the time of the attack. Prosecutors argued that he knew what he was doing when he stabbed the child and attempted to evade capture afterward.
Community Impact and Sentencing
The case has deeply affected the local community in Boston, Lincolnshire, highlighting concerns about violent crime and mental health considerations in legal proceedings. The judge's decision to impose a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years reflects the severity of the crime, despite the defendant's mental health condition and admission of manslaughter rather than murder.
This sentencing brings a measure of closure to a tragic case that has spanned several years of legal and medical evaluations, while underscoring the ongoing challenges in balancing justice with mental health considerations in the criminal justice system.
