Simon Levy convicted of two murders and rape after police and court failures
Met Police, British Transport Police and CPS admit failings left serial offender free to kill again
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Simon Levy, 40, was found guilty on 9 August 2025 of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, in attacks in March and August 2025. The Old Bailey jury also convicted him of raping a third woman and breaking her collarbone in a January 2025 assault. All three victims were street sex workers with drug addictions, as reported by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Valencia-Trujillo was found dead in an abandoned block of flats on the Aylesbury estate in Southwark. Wilkins was discovered behind a car park wall near Tottenham High Road. Prosecutor Tom Little KC described Levy as a "predatory serial sexual attacker" who targeted vulnerable women. Levy did not give evidence during the trial.
Simon Levy jailed for life after murders of two women in Barnet and Southwark
Met Police, British Transport Police and CPS admit failings that allowed convicted sex offender to kill again
Systemic failures allowed further attacks
The Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and Crown Prosecution Service admitted failings in their handling of Levy’s case. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth said the decision to release Levy on bail at two magistrates’ court hearings in May and June 2025 left him free to kill again. Southworth told the Press Association: "There’s a collective system failure here, which has left Levy free to go on offending in this awful manner."
Levy was released on bail despite being a convicted sex offender. The CPS admitted it did not oppose bail at the first hearing in May 2025. At the second hearing in June, the prosecutor did not present all relevant information to the court. Levy failed to attend three subsequent crown court hearings, but no arrest warrant was issued.
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British Transport Police officers also failed to identify that Levy’s Oyster card had been stolen from a bus driver. This allowed him free travel, which he used on the day he murdered Valencia-Trujillo. Delays in organising an identification parade after his November 2024 arrest for four sexual assaults on the Tube left him free to commit further offences.
History of sexual violence
Levy had a long history of sexual violence. In 2021, he was jailed for groping two women at Notting Hill Carnival and a Camden party in 2018. While in prison in 2022, he sexually assaulted a prison guard. He was released in 2023 and went on to assault a woman on the Tube in October 2023. He was recalled to prison in August 2024 after allegedly raping another woman in May 2024.
Between October 2023 and May 2025, Levy groped ten women on London’s transport network. He claimed his partial sight, lost in an attack in May 2024, caused him to accidentally touch passengers. A jury at Inner London Crown Court rejected this defence and convicted him of 11 counts of indecent assault in an earlier trial. Judge Michael Evans told Levy: "You were on the Tube for one purpose only, to sexually assault women."
What happens next
Levy was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on 12 August 2025. Judge Mark Lucraft KC could impose a whole-life order, meaning Levy would never be released. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating two Metropolitan Police officers over their handling of Levy’s case. A gross misconduct notice was served on a constable, and a misconduct notice on a detective sergeant, though disciplinary proceedings are not guaranteed.
There’s a collective system failure here, which has left Levy free to go on offending in this awful manner and left these victims at risk from his prolific offending.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth, Metropolitan Police
Questions this report answers
+What was Simon Levy convicted of?
Simon Levy was convicted on 9 August 2025 of murdering two women, Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, and raping a third woman in attacks between January and August 2025. He was also found guilty of grievous bodily harm and non-fatal smothering.
+Why was Simon Levy released on bail before the murders?
Levy was released on bail at two magistrates’ court hearings in May and June 2025. The CPS admitted it did not oppose bail at the first hearing, and the prosecutor failed to present all relevant information at the second. These decisions allowed him to commit further offences.
+What happens next in the case?
Levy will be sentenced on 12 August 2025 and could receive a whole-life order. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating two Metropolitan Police officers over their handling of his case. Disciplinary proceedings are possible but not guaranteed.
+What was Simon Levy’s criminal history before the murders?
Levy was jailed in 2021 for groping two women in 2018. In 2022, he sexually assaulted a prison guard. He was convicted of 11 counts of indecent assault in an earlier trial, including assaults on the Tube between 2023 and 2025.
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