A man who murdered nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte in Boston has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years.
Deividas Skebas appeared via video link from Rampton Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility in Nottinghamshire, as the sentencing hearing began.
The hearing was overseen by Mr Justice Akhlaq Choudhury, who also presided over Skebas’s trial earlier this month, was joined in court by defence barrister Andrew Campbell-Tiech and prosecution barrister Christopher Donnellan KC.
Addressing the court, Mr Donnellan described Lilia as a “particularly vulnerable victim” and said the jury must have carefully considered the defendant’s explanation of what was in his mind at the time of the attack. He added that medical evidence showed Skebas was suffering from schizophrenia.
Mr Justice Choudhury told the court it had to consider whether Skebas’s mental disorder lessened his culpability, noting that in light of the jury’s verdict, it could not be said his abilities were “substantially impaired”.
Passing sentence, the judge said: “You’ve been found guilty of the murder of Lilia Valutyte, I must now sentence you for that offence.” He told the court Lilia was “just nine years old when her life was cut short” and described CCTV footage from before the attack showing her as a “carefree, happy girl” playing with her hula hoop.
“How could anyone imagine that within seconds she would be stabbed by a complete stranger and left to die?” he said. “Yours was a shocking and horrific act of violence. Nothing I can do or say today can relieve the pain of losing Lilia.”
The court heard Skebas had bought an “ordinary kitchen knife” from a shop, which he later used to kill Lilia. On the day of the murder, he walked around the same area of Boston repeatedly, apparently searching for a victim.
“You kept returning to the same area around Fountain Lane,” the judge said. “At 18:15 you did the unthinkable. You headed straight towards her, pulled out the knife and as soon as you approached the unsuspecting Lilia, you plunged the knife into her heart.”
The judge added that Skebas had later claimed he killed Lilia because he was “controlled by a chip implanted by NASA” and by voices in his head.
In sentencing, Mr Justice Choudhury said: “The significant features of planning and a vulnerable victim are balanced by the mitigating features and in particular your mental disorder. Accordingly, the minimum term in your case is 25 years. For the murder of Lilia Valutyte, I sentence you to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years.”
Skebas showed little emotion as the sentence was handed down.
The judge added: “If you are at any point well enough to be discharged from hospital you will return to prison to serve your sentence and the remainder of your minimum term.”
