Posted: 22:24, August 27, 2022 | Updated: 22:55, 27 August 2022
A fruit picker accused of stabbing nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte to death has been rushed to hospital after being slashed and beaten by a leg-holding cell in a brutal prison attack.
Lithuanian national Deividas Skebas, 22, was remanded in custody earlier this month following an appearance at Lincoln Crown Court charged with murder.
Lilia was found with a stab wound outside her mother’s embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire, where she was playing with her five-year-old sister on July 28.
She was said to be playing with her little sister outside the Sava Code embroidery and screen printing shop opened by her Lithuanian mother Lina Savicke in March this year.
Skebas is understood to have been held at category A prison Wakefield but was the victim of a savage attack, the Sun reports.
He stayed overnight in the hospital before returning to his cell the next day.
A source told the newspaper: “Skebas was beaten to a pulp and also cut with an improvised weapon – possibly a razor blade on a toothbrush.
Deividas Skemas, 22, is pictured leaving Lincoln Crown Court, where he was remanded in custody earlier this month
Lilia Valutyte was found stabbed outside her mother’s embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire, where she was playing with her five-year-old sister
A newly discovered image shows Skeba being kissed by two women at a family party from before he was charged with murder
“People have been plotting against him for some time and on Sunday they got their chance, with some running to his cell and ambushing him.
“There was one man who met the beating, with the help of some others who were involved and watching. He was in very bad shape and they basically left him for dead.
“The guards found him and acted very quickly and he was taken to hospital by ambulance. Skebas has had a target on his back since he arrived – and really this attack was only a matter of time.
“There are a lot of bad people in Wakefield, dealing with a lot of bad things – but the fact that the Lithuanian man is accused of killing a nine-year-old has made him a target. If the guards hadn’t found him, it could have all been over for him.”
Skebas has been under constant surveillance since his return to prison.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “A prisoner at HMP Wakefield was treated in hospital for injuries after being assaulted by another prisoner.
“We cannot comment further while police investigate.”
The death of the nine-year-old girl has caused a “deep shock” to the locals of Boston
Schembas is next expected in court on a case for a plea and pretrial hearing on Sept. 19, when a tentative trial date will be set.
Lilia’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief in a city known for its large Eastern European community.
A family friend described Lilia as ‘a nine-year-old angel’ and ‘one of the most beautiful creatures’, adding: ‘No one will feel her mother’s pain. The girl was a ray of sunshine, as were her parents, who were the main helpers of our community and school events. The pain is unspeakable. We are devastated with this shocking news! Rest in peace, little angel.’
Skebas came from the industrial town of Utena in northeastern Lithuania, where members of his family still live. A property overlooking Boston’s Central Park was searched by coroners over the weekend.
Chief Superintendent Martin Parker described Lilia’s murder as “heartbreaking”, adding that the case “has affected many people in Boston and further afield”.
