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Man who stabbed nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte in the heart guilty of murder

Today at Lincoln Crown Court, jurors convicted Deividas Skebas of murdering nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte by an 11-1 majority after over seven hours' deliberation; sentencing is adjourned until February 25 and Skebas watched via videolink from Rampton high security hospital.
At trial, prosecutors rejected diminished responsibility and described the killing as `deliberate and planned`, despite the defence arguing schizophrenia and psychosis diminished responsibility, citing expert psychiatric evidence.
Evidence included CCTV of Skebas making 69 laps of Fountain Lane before approaching Lilia at around 6.15pm, and police recovered a knife bought two days earlier.
Following the verdict, Aurelijus Savickas read victim statements; he said, `During these nine years we lived life fully, we visited many places, we didn't stand still` and `Lilia, you will always live in our hearts, you are forever loved, forever missed`.
The court heard that Skebas was previously found unfit to stand trial and transferred to Rampton high security hospital before being deemed fit in 2025; clinicians doubt he will recover, and footage of his custody stabbing on August 21, 2022, was shown.

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Boston news: Man guilty of murdering schoolgirl, 9, on street while she played with hula hoop

A man who stabbed a nine-year-old in the heart while she played with a hula hoop in a Lincolnshire street has been convicted of murder.Lilia Valutyte was attacked by Deividas Skebas in the Boston town centre on July 28, 2022, while she was playing outside her mother’s embroidery shop.The Lithuanian defendant admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but was convicted of murder by a jury at Lincoln Crown Court.There was no…

1 day ago·London, United Kingdom

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