Man, 22, held after little Lillia is stabbed to death in the street
POLICE have arrested a 22-yearold man on suspicion of the murder of nine-year-old Lillia Valutyte.
She was stabbed to death in a street in Boston, Lincolnshire, on Thursday evening, leaving locals in ‘profound shock’.
Lillia was reportedly playing with her sister outside an embroidery and screen-printing shop run by her Lithuanian mother, Lina Savicke, when she was attacked.
Yesterday, shocked onlookers watched as armed police swooped on a Victorian semi-detached house just a few streets away. Officers are said to have broken down the back door before leading three men away. The street was later cordoned off, as well as an area of Central Park opposite the house.
The raid came after Lincolnshire Police had released CCTV images of a man they wanted to find.
Friends of Lillia yesterday lit candles in her memory at the 14th Century St Botolph’s Church, known as the Boston Stump, just 100 yards from the murder scene.
They included her classmates Tia Mills and Imani Bradley, both nine, from the Carlton Road Academy primary school. Tia, who was with her mother, said: ‘Lillia was nice. She liked Harry Potter. She was quite quiet. She was a good friend. She liked to dance.’
Imani, who was with her grandmother, added: ‘She was just a very lovely girl. She was nice, funny, loving and caring.’
One grieving resident said: ‘It’s disgusting beyond words.
‘Something needs to be done in this town to make sure our children have a confident future and are able to walk the streets. They need to feel safe.’
Reverend Jane Robertson, the rector of St Botolph’s, said: ‘People feel they can’t do anything and they want to do something.
‘The church offers a space for people to actually do something tangible, even if it’s to sit and feel anger or frustration. or that awful sense of this is wrong.’
Scores of floral tributes, candles and teddy bears were left in a growing pile close to the murder scene, and flags were flown at half-mast on council buildings
Paul Skinner, leader of Boston Borough Council said: ‘The town is united in mourning. We can’t for one second imagine the pain the family and the young girl’s friends are going through and our heartfelt condolences go out to them.’
A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said last night: ‘The arrest follows a combination of intelligence and information supplied by several members of the public.
‘We’d like to thank everyone for their assistance as we continue our investigation.
‘We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident. There will continue to be a significant police presence in the town while our investigation progresses.’
Home Secretary Priti Patel had said she was ‘appalled’ at the incident, adding: ‘My heartfelt sympathies go out to her family.’