Family of girl, nine, stabbed to death in street share new pictures as they plan statue in her memory

The family of a nine-year-old girl stabbed to death while playing in the street have released new images of her, showing how she "always tried to make fun".

Lilia Valutyte's family shared the pictures as they announced they plan to create a statue in her honour.

Lilia was stabbed on the street in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 28 July, yards from where her mother was working in an office.

Just ten minutes before, she had been playing with her younger sister, with CCTV of her last moments showing the girls playing with a hula-hoop and toy pram.

Deividas Skebas, 22, has been charged with the nine-year-old's murder.

Newly-released images of Lilia include her dressed in a blue bubble suit; at a bike show in Boston; messing around in the kitchen at home; at an aquarium; and at a dance competition sharing a hug with her sister.

Her mother Lina and stepfather Aurelijus said they had shared the images to show their daughter had "always tried to make fun" and wanted to erect a statue in Boston town centre as a lasting tribute to her.

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Lina said: "Lilia was grown in that street, every week she spent down there playing, and it happened next to the window.

"The memorial is a way for her to still be there, and we’re now fundraising to get it."

A close family friend has set up a fundraising page on JustGiving where people can donate to help the family.

The statue will either take the form of an angel with Lilia’s face, or will be a full likeness of the schoolgirl, Lincolnshire Police said in a statement sharing the news.

They said Lilia's family felt it was fitting for a memorial statue to be placed in Boston, because their daughter had lived there nearly all her life.

Born at Boston Pilgrim Hospital, Lilia attended two schools in the town and despite her family moving away for a short time, they had returned.

Her stepfather Aurelijus said: "She was cheeky; quiet in one way and then other ways she wasn't. She always tried to make fun."

Her mother added: "It’s hard to know what to say. She was just a normal child, one day she’s happy and another she isn’t, one day she wants to eat pancakes and another she doesn’t - the usual things.

"She loved to dance, travel and try new things, and annoy her sister. She wanted to go to Italy, so we will probably go anyway next year.

"There are so many things we could say, but we are not going to talk a lot about who she was and share those stories from our home; they are ours and we want to keep them for us."