In 2026, the Offender Database recorded that Deividas Skebas, then 26, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years for the “vicious and random” murder of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte. On Thursday, 26 February 2026, the Lithuanian national appeared at Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing. The court reported that Skebas stabbed the young girl through the heart as she played with a hula hoop outside her mother’s shop in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 28 July 2022.
The investigation established that Skebas was captured on chilling CCTV footage watching the child before pulling a knife from his back pocket and attacking her with “vile” force. Lincolnshire Police reported that Lilia collapsed and died in her mother’s arms just an hour later. The prosecution reported that Skebas had waited for other pedestrians to move away before pouncing on the “defenceless” youngster. While he previously admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, he was found guilty of murder following a trial in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Skebas suffered from significant mental health issues, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Lincoln Crown Court heard how the defendant claimed to have the “power to resurrect” Lilia via a “controller in NASA” following his arrest. The prosecution reported that Skebas had received psychiatric treatment in both the UK and Lithuania prior to the “predatory” attack. The judge noted that the force of the stabbing was so extreme that it knocked Lilia backwards into shop shutters in Boston, Lincolnshire.
The judge noted that Skebas showed little emotion as his sentence was delivered. For his actions in Boston, Lincolnshire, the judge noted that the 25-year minimum term was the appropriate response to such a “vicious and unprovoked” killing of a child. The judge noted that while Skebas will be immediately transferred to a custodial setting, the Secretary of State must decide whether he will serve his term in a standard prison or be transferred to Rampton Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility in Nottinghamshire.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in England, Deividas Skebas was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: Life imprisonment.
- Minimum Term: 25 years before being eligible for parole.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court following a murder conviction.
- Medical Status: Diagnosed with schizophrenia; transfer to Rampton Hospital pending decision.
- Victim: Lilia Valutyte (aged 9).
- Origin: Boston, Lincolnshire (Lithuanian National).
Monitoring and Public Protection
Skebas is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Lincolnshire Police and the prison estate. Due to the “random and predatory” nature of the murder in Boston, Lincolnshire, he is considered to pose a permanent and acute danger to the public.
Upon the completion of his 25-year minimum term, any decision regarding Skebas’ release will be a matter for the Parole Board. Authorities state that his history of “extreme violence” and severe mental health instability necessitates that he remains under life-long supervision if ever released. Any further violent misconduct or breach of conditions in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, or elsewhere will result in immediate recall to custody for the remainder of his life.
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