Simon Levy, a 41-year-old double murderer and serial sex offender, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation after allegedly attacking a prison guard with a pen at HMP Belmarsh in February. The incident, which took place on February 18, involved Levy reportedly stabbing guard Paul Dunne multiple times in the arm and neck before grabbing him around the throat.
Court Hearing and Charges
Levy appeared via videolink at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, August 17, where prosecutor David Burns outlined the allegations. Burns told the court that Levy was finishing a meeting with Dunne when he “attacked him with a pen, stabbing him multiple times to the arm and neck.” Dunne fell to the floor, and Levy then allegedly “grabbed the officer around the throat” and tightened his grip.
Levy’s lawyer, Jason Lartey, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf, denying both the assault and the strangulation. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram committed the case to Inner London Crown Court for trial, with a hearing scheduled for September 14.
Background of Offences
Levy, who is serving a whole life sentence for the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, was already in custody awaiting trial for those murders at the time of the alleged prison attack. His criminal history includes a series of sexual assaults on the London Underground and a rape in a car park. His earliest known sex offending dates back to 2018, when he assaulted a woman at a party in Camden Market and another at the Notting Hill Carnival, leading to a conviction in 2021.
After being released from prison, Levy attacked 10 women on the Underground between October 2023 and May 2025, for which he was convicted in February 2026. He had lost the sight in his right eye in May 2024 and had moved back to live with his mother, Marcia Clark, after a spell in approved premises for prison leavers in Southwark.
Prior Contact with Authorities
Levy had repeated contact with authorities as an ex-offender. In a 2024 probation interview, he said he had not been in a relationship with a woman since 2023, aside from his mother, and denied using online dating services or attempting to renew intimate relationships. He also denied paying for sex, though he described being frequently offered sexual services at his approved premises and his mother’s home. He expressed a desire for a long-term relationship but said he “needed to work on himself first.”
Home visits to monitor his risk occurred between the two murders. On March 28, 2025, he told officers he did not go out and instead watched films and YouTube. On July 10, 2025, he claimed he was not going out much due to instability on his feet and did not meet friends, citing his eye injury and mental health.
Levy was first arrested for the murder of Ms Valencia-Trujillo on April 1 last year but was released under investigation, allowing him to kill Ms Wilkins. During that arrest, his mother asked police, “What are you talking about murder?” and Levy insisted he “didn’t do nothing like that.” On his arrest for Ms Wilkins’ murder in September, he again protested, saying, “I’ve had this situation before, I didn’t do nothing.” He refused to answer questions in police interviews and declined to give evidence at his murder trial at the Old Bailey.
At Monday’s hearing, Levy confirmed his name and date of birth and entered his not guilty pleas. The case will proceed to trial at Inner London Crown Court, with the next hearing on September 14.
