A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte, who was found in the street with a stab wound in Boston last week.
Deividas Skebas, 22, spoke only to confirm his name at Lincoln crown court on Monday. He will return to court on 19 September, when a trial date is likely to be set, and was remanded in custody.
He was charged on Sunday after a CCTV appeal after an incident on Fountain Lane, Boston, where Lilia was reportedly playing in the street with her younger sister when she was found with a stab wound.
Police released four CCTV images of a man who detectives said they wished to trace.
The footage showed a man in the Wormgate and Fountain Lane area of Boston at 6.15pm on Thursday, five minutes before Lilia was found dead.
Police also said two people who were arrested last week had been released with no further action.
According to neighbours, the two girls were playing in the street with a hula hoop and toy pram.
It is understood Lilia and her sister were playing just yards from where their mother was working when the attack took place. The victim’s family have reportedly been relocated from the area.
Remanding Skebas into custody, the judge, Simon Hirst, told the defendant: “You will be next before the court on 19 September. I hope on that date I can give you a trial date, that is to say a date when your trial can take place. In the meantime you are remanded into custody.”
Skebas, of Boston, will appear at the court for a plea hearing on 19 September.
