Simon Levy, a 40-year-old man described as a ‘predatory monster’, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life order for the murders of two women and a brutal sexual assault on a third. The sentencing at the Old Bailey on August 12, 2026, followed a trial that exposed a litany of failures by police and prosecutors that allowed Levy to remain free and continue his attacks.
Murders and Attack
Levy smothered Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, a 53-year-old grandmother, in March 2025, and Sheryl Wilkins, a 39-year-old mother of four, five months later. He had also subjected a third woman to a violent sexual assault in January 2024 in the same car park where Ms Wilkins’ body was later found. The victim told police at the time that she had been raped and knew where her attacker lived, but she was not formally interviewed until after the killings.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC, sentencing Levy, said he ‘appears to have a morbid fascination with rape, sex and crime’ and is someone who ‘ruthlessly exploited and took advantage’ of the three women. The court heard emotional victim impact statements from the families of the victims.
Systemic Failures
The case has highlighted a series of missed opportunities to stop Levy. He was previously jailed in 2021 for groping two women in 2018, and while in prison in 2022 he sexually assaulted a prison guard. Despite this, he was released the following year and went on to sexually assault a woman on the Tube in October 2023 and allegedly rape another in May 2024, for which he was recalled to prison and released again in August 2024.
Levy was arrested by the British Transport Police (BTP) in November 2024 for four sexual assaults on the Tube. However, delays in organising an identification parade until April 2025 left him free to carry out the rape and first murder. BTP officers also failed to notice that his Oyster card had been stolen from a bus driver, giving him free travel that he used on the day he murdered Ms Valencia-Trujillo.
Following her death, Levy was released on bail at two magistrates’ court hearings in May and June 2025. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) admitted it had not opposed bail at the first hearing, and at the second, the prosecutor had not given the court all relevant information. There were three crown court hearings he failed to attend, yet no arrest warrant was requested. Less than two weeks after a hearing on August 11, he murdered Ms Wilkins.
Impact on Victims and Families
In court, Ms Wilkins’ sister, Lindsey Hicks, said: ‘You, Simon Levy, have destroyed our lives… Sheryl was a beautiful soul who was cruelly taken away. This last year has been the worst year of our lives and the pain you have put us through has been unbearable… The toll this has taken on my mental health has been awful.’
Ms Valencia-Trujillo’s daughter, Nazly Johana Fuenmayor Valencia, said: ‘I have been ripped apart… we will never be the same again. My mum came to this country to give her children a better life and for safety. Instead her life was taken so cruelly.’
Ongoing Investigation and Response
Detectives have urged any more survivors to come forward, amid concern that Levy could have been carrying out daily attacks for years. His prolific sexual offending spanned at least seven years between 2018 and 2025. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has served a gross misconduct notice on a police constable and a misconduct notice on a detective sergeant, though it said disciplinary proceedings were not inevitable.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, from Scotland Yard, said: ‘Simon Levy is a dangerous and predatory offender. His crimes were calculated, cruel and deeply disturbing. Throughout the trial, he has shown complete disregard for the victims and victim-survivor, despite being fully aware of the lasting and devastating impact of his actions.’
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth, from the Met, acknowledged a ‘collective system failure’ that left Levy free to kill a second time. He said: ‘Ultimately what we’re talking about here is a serial sexual predator who’s finally been brought to justice, but ultimately too late to help the victims of his tragic acts.’ The Met, BTP and CPS have all admitted failings in their handling of Levy.
