A court has been told that a man who fatally stabbed a nine-year-old girl in Boston was suffering from serious mental illness at the time of the attack, but prosecutors say the killing was still deliberate and planned.
Lilia Valutyte was playing outside a shop on Fountain Lane, where her mother was working, on the evening of 28 July 2022 when she was attacked and killed. The incident shocked the town and prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes.
Deividas Skebas, 26, admits killing Lilia but denies murder, claiming his responsibility was diminished because of his mental state. A jury at Lincoln Crown Court has heard that Skebas was assessed by three consultant psychiatrists, who produced a joint report for the trial. All three agreed he was suffering from schizophrenia and was experiencing psychotic symptoms on the day of the attack.
Despite this, the prosecution is rejecting the defence of diminished responsibility and argues the killing was a conscious, planned act.
The court was shown CCTV footage showing Skebas repeatedly walking up and down Fountain Lane in the hour before the stabbing, which took place at around 6.15pm. Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC said the footage appeared to show Skebas waiting for the street to become quieter and deliberately avoiding other adults.
He told the jury: “There were two children there. He chose Lilia. Why did he choose Lilia? As he is doing this, he is intending to kill her.”
The court heard that Skebas had a history of mental health treatment in both Lithuania and the UK, but Mr Donnellan argued that his illness did not prevent him from forming intent or planning his actions.
“These are rational actions that he is following through,” he said, adding that the prosecution’s case is that Skebas was able to make choices and act upon them.
Jurors were also told that Skebas was arrested at his home two days after the killing. During a search of the property, officers found a paring knife, recently bought from a local shop, hidden behind a radiator. The prosecution say this was the weapon used in the attack.
Skebas, formerly of Thorold Street in Boston, denies murder but accepts he carried out the killing.
The trial continues at Lincoln Crown Court.
Image: John Aron
