Man who killed nine-year-old girl as she played in the street jailed

A man who murdered a nine-year-old while she played in the street has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 25 years. Deividas Skebas, 26, stabbed Lilia Valutyte in the heart in the town centre of Boston, Lincolnshire, on 28 July 2022. His victim was playing with a hula hoop outside her mother’s embroidery shop at the time He stabbed the child with a Sabatier paring knife he had bought from a Wilko shop two days before. A trial at the Lincoln Crown Court heard there was no dispute that Skebas, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, killed Lilia. The court heard that Skebas was arrested two days after the attack, but his mental health was “declining” so he was transferred to hospital. The Lithuanian national told police that he was being controlled by Nasa. Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent Find us on social: TikTok /   / independent   Instagram /   / the.independent   X (Twitter) /   / independent   Facebook /   / theindependentonline   Download the iOS & Android app: https://tinyurl.com/2s3ts5dh Sign up to our newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/2bmw565x Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust: https://www.independent.co.uk/donations