Nine year-old Lilia Valutyte died of a single stab wound to the chest, inquest hears

A police cordon around the scene of the crime in Fountain Lane, Boston.

Lilia Valutyte was fatally wounded outside an embroidery shop in Fountain Lane in Boston, on Thursday, July 28.

Acting senior coroner for Lincolnshire, Paul Smith, opened and adjourned the inquest into her death until the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.

Lithuanian national Deividas Skebas, 22, of Thorold Street, in Boston, has previously appeared in court charged with Lilia's murder.

He was remanded into custody and is next due to appear in court on September 19.

Lincolnshire Coroner's Court heard that the schoolgirl's death was confirmed at Boston's Pilgrim Hospital on July 28.

Lilia was formally identified by her stepfather, Aurelijus Savickas on August 2 - the court was told at the nine-minute hearing at Lincoln's Myle Cross Centre.

Mr Smith then read out a statement from Coroner's investigating officer Jacqui Foxlow and asked her to confirm that a forensic postmortem was carried out by (pathologist) Professor Stuart Hamilton at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

She stated: "A provisional cause of death was 1a, stab wound to the chest, pending further inquiries."

The Coroner adjourned the inquest, saying: "I suspect in light of the evidence I have received today this is as far as I can go.”

He added: "There is ongoing criminal proceedings and I will adjourn the inquest until they are concluded as the law dictates."