How police let a registered sex offender murder and attack women
System Failures Allowed Sex Offender to Kill and Assault Women
Ninoda.com – A jury at the Old Bailey has delivered a guilty verdict against Simon Levy for the murders of two women, the violent rape of a third, and multiple sexual assaults on public transport. The conviction comes after investigators revealed that police, prosecutors, and courts made a cascade of errors that permitted Levy to continue his crimes.
Levy, aged 40, was found responsible for killing Carmenza Valencia Trujillo, who was 54, and Sheryl Wilkins, aged 39, during incidents in London last year. He also committed a brutal rape against another woman in a car park. What makes these crimes particularly shocking is that Levy had already been assessed as a lower risk to women by the Metropolitan Police prior to the attacks.
A History of Missed Opportunities
The Metropolitan Police has acknowledged to the BBC that Sheryl Wilkins might still be alive had different decisions been made. The force has formally apologized to her family for its role in the tragedy.
Levy, described as a jobless loner residing with his mother, committed the three major attacks while released on bail for separate sexual assaults on London trains. He continued to carry out additional assaults on public transport during this period.
"There were opportunities here to save some of the victims," said Met's Kevin Southworth.
Details of his public transport crimes, along with the sexual assault of a prison officer while incarcerated for earlier offenses, can now be publicly reported. Levy was convicted of these additional charges in February.
Between late 2024 and summer 2025, authorities freed Levy on bail on multiple occasions, even after he had been charged with sex offenses and violated his bail conditions. Throughout this time, the Met Police maintained monitoring and risk management of Levy.
Investigative Delays and Errors
Several critical failures have been identified in the handling of Levy's case:
Levy had previously served time in prison for two sexual assaults. Scotland Yard reduced his risk classification to women upon his 2024 release, a decision currently being examined by the police watchdog. The Met concluded its investigation into a January 2025 rape despite evidence that Levy could have been positively identified.
The force failed to classify Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo's death as a murder in March 2025, nor did it refer the case to specialist homicide detectives, until after Levy committed his second killing. The Metropolitan Police required three years to investigate and charge Levy for the sexual assault of a prison officer, while the Crown Prosecution Service also demonstrated delays.
British Transport Police's investigation into Levy's sexual assaults suffered from significant delays, resulting in charges being brought more than six months after Levy was filmed committing an attack. Both the Met and BTP returned a stolen travel card to Levy, enabling him to travel without paying and facilitating further crimes, including the first murder.
"It didn't need all of those women for Simon Levy to be finally put into prison… the attacks could have been prevented," one of the ten women assaulted on public transport told the BBC.
Broader Institutional Implications
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth described the situation as a "collective system failure" and a "tragedy beyond words." Det Ch Supt Pete Fulton from BTP stated that delays in his force's enquiries "absolutely wasn't good enough," attributing the problems to "incompetence" by two officers who have since been reassigned.
The CPS has issued an apology for "shortcomings" in its efforts to secure Levy's remand in custody. The Met's decisions regarding Levy occurred after the force claimed to have reformed following high-profile cases, including the murder of Sarah Everard by a Met officer and the failure to identify serial killer Stephen Port.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has consistently rejected Baroness Louise Casey's formal conclusion that his force suffers from institutional sexism and misogyny. Simon Levy's case is expected to trigger renewed examination of this position.
One of the last women to be attacked by Levy told the BBC that learning about his other victims and discovering he had been on bail was "worse than even the physical assault."
Levy's Character and Obsessions
Levy's personal life revealed a man consumed by sexual interests. At his home, where he lived with his mother, investigators discovered a computer containing extensive notes about "my favourite sex positions" and "my sex records." Plastic bags filled with old newspaper articles concerning sexual abuse, rape, and murder were also found.
Reports indicate Levy had an interest in the misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate. He was not secretive about his nature, having first come to the Met's attention in 2017 when a woman reported him for sexually assaulting her at an event in south London. The CPS initially decided not to charge him, a choice now being viewed as a mistake.
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