Deividas Skebas: man accused of stabbing Lilia Valutyte, 9, to death declared unfit to stand trial

A man accused of stabbing a nine-year-old girl to death has been declared unfit to stand trial for murder.

Deividas Skebas allegedly stabbed Lilia Valutyte in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 28 July last year. At a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court today, 17 April, Judge Simon Hirst said the 23-year-old is not fit to enter a plea or stand trial for medical reasons.

Instead, a trial of the facts, will be heard at the same court, has been scheduled for 10 July. Skebas, of Thorold Street, Boston, was not at Monday morning’s hearing.

What is a trial of the facts?

If, based on medical evidence, a court determines that a person is unfit to stand trial, then criminal proceedings cannot proceed, however prosecutors can have the allegations heard as a “trial of facts”.

This is where the prosecution sets out the case in front of a jury but the defendant does not have to play a part in proceedings or be present in court. The jury then decides if the defendant committed the alleged offence, though their conclusion cannot result in a criminal conviction.

Skebas will be represented by a legal team and his lawyers can still question the witnesses and challenge evidence, like a normal trial. However unlike a criminal trial, the jury does not return a verdict of guilty or not guilty.

Instead, they will decide whether or not Skebas committed the offence, not their state of mind at the time. The court then has the option of making a number of treatment orders - including being committed to hospital - or an absolute discharge.