The grandmother of murdered nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte has been accused of setting fire to a hotel with her family inside on her daughter's wedding night. Little Lilia was stabbed to death while playing with her younger sister on Fountain Lane in Boston, Lincolnshire last month.
Her mum Lina Savicke, 36, was working at a café nearby when she heard the screams of her younger daughter and rushed outside to find Lilia's body on the street. Deividas Skebas, 22, has since been charged with the murder. The fruit picker, who is originally from a village near the north-eastern Lithuanian city of Utena, is currently being held at HMP Wakefield.
However, it has now come to light that Lilia's grandmother, Inga Papstaitiene, allegedly started a blaze at a hotel where her relatives were staying - including Lilia and Lina - in September 2019. The 55-year-old was found guilty for the arson attack and sentenced to prison by a Lithuanian court in June. The gran allegedly caused the inferno after a furious row with her new son-in-law Aurelijus Savickas, the Mirror reports.
She denies the charge and is on bail while she appeals her eight-year prison sentence. A friend of Lina, who worked with her in Boston, told The Telegraph: “Lina’s parents didn’t approve of the wedding to Aurelijus.
"Her own mother tried to kill Lina and her family. It was awful. And then to have your child killed in front of you...
"It’s impossible to believe. She has suffered so much.”
The hotel fire unfolded on the evening that Lilia's parents married near the Lithuanian city of Telsiai three years ago. On the wedding night, a row broke out between the newlyweds and Lina's mother and grandmother.
The court heard that Papstaitiene had deliberately placed a cardboard box filled with glass containers and plastic waste on the gas stove, turned on the taps and lit the items, starting a fire in the first floor kitchen of the hotel. That evening, 11 people – including her mother, daughter Lina, and granddaughter Lilia – were sleeping on the second floor.
Papstaitiene hit out at the "vindictive and false" claims against her in the local paper. She told Lithuanian Delfi Plius newspaper: "Lina’s wedding took place that evening.
"My son-in-law attacked me because of a complete misunderstanding. My mother then drank a little too much and arguments began.
“All the guests stayed there all night. Then the swearing started between us because they behaved badly with my mother. She had drunk too much, they didn’t like something and it started.”
Papstaitiene accused her daughter and her daughter's husband of attacking her, adding: “I remember they were dragging me on the ground, twisting my arms, and others were just laughing watching all this. They dragged me, the tendon of my arm broke. Then I ran to the fields.”
As part of her sentence Papstaitiene, who was on bail but barred from leaving the country pending the conclusion of her appeal, was also ordered to pay €13,000 in compensation. It is understood that following the fire, Papstaitiene paid €500 to the owner of the venue, who did not report the incident.
Lina reported the fire and wedding dispute to police who then launched an investigation. Papstaitiene is due to appeal against the sentence at a hearing on September 22.
Lilia’s family are now fundraising to erect a statue in the girl’s memory. Ms Savicke said: “Lilia grew up 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. You find yourself looking for her everywhere. We had four corners, and now one is gone.”
On Friday it emerged that Mr Skebas, who is awaiting trial at HMP Wakefield for the murder of Lilia, was airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a fellow inmate.
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