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
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Simon Levy, 40, of Beaufoy Road, Tottenham, was found guilty on 25 July 2026 of murdering two women and raping a third. The Old Bailey jury convicted him of suffocating Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, in August 2025. Both attacks were sexually motivated, as reported by the *Evening Standard*.
Valencia-Trujillo was found in an abandoned block of flats on the Aylesbury Estate in Southwark. Wilkins was discovered behind a car park wall near Tottenham High Road, in the London Borough of Haringey. Levy also broke the collarbone of a third woman during a non-fatal smothering in January 2025, in the same car park where Wilkins was later killed.
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Systemic failures allowed further attacks
The Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and Crown Prosecution Service admitted to a series of blunders that allowed Levy to remain free. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth, of the Met, told the Press Association that failures to remand Levy in custody at hearings in May and June 2025 left him free to kill Wilkins. He described the case as a "collective system failure."
The CPS acknowledged it did not oppose bail at a May 2025 hearing and failed to present all relevant information to the court at a subsequent hearing in June 2025. Levy was released on both occasions despite being arrested on suspicion of murder, rape and multiple sexual assaults. British Transport Police also admitted delays in organising an identification parade, which extended Levy’s bail until April 2025.
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Levy used a stolen Oyster card, taken from a bus driver, to travel freely on Transport for London services. Police did not realise the card was stolen when they recorded its details during an arrest in November 2024. He used it to travel to the Aylesbury Estate on the day he killed Valencia-Trujillo.
Prior convictions and monitoring failures
Levy was a registered sex offender with a history of violence against women. 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, as reported by *This Is Local London*. Despite this, he was released in February 2023.
After his release, Levy committed multiple sexual assaults on the Tube and Overground. In October 2023, he groped a woman on the Tube but was not identified by police. He was recalled to prison in August 2024 after being accused of rape in May 2024, but released again. Between March and August 2025, he sexually assaulted six more women on public transport.
Police monitoring Levy as a registered sex offender visited him twice at his Tottenham home in March and July 2025. He lied to officers, claiming he did not leave the house and spent his time watching YouTube. He also exploited his partial sight, which he lost in an attack in May 2024, to claim he was unsteady on his feet.
You were on the Tube for one purpose only, to sexually assault women.
Judge Michael Evans, sentencing Levy for indecent assault in 2026
What happens next
Levy will be sentenced on 12 August 2026 at the Old Bailey. Judge Mark Lucraft KC remanded him in custody until then. Prosecutor Tom Little KC described Levy as a "predatory serial sexual attacker" and suggested he could receive a whole-life prison term.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating two Metropolitan Police officers over their handling of Levy’s case. British Transport Police confirmed that the detective constable and supervising sergeant responsible for delays in the identification parade have been moved off investigative duties but will not face disciplinary action.
Questions this report answers
+Why was Simon Levy free to commit these crimes?
Police and prosecutors admitted failings, including not opposing bail at court hearings and delays in investigations. Levy was released despite multiple arrests for sexual assaults and a prior conviction for groping women.
+Where did the murders take place?
Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo was found in an abandoned block of flats on the Aylesbury Estate in Southwark. Sheryl Wilkins was discovered behind a car park wall near Tottenham High Road, in Haringey.
+What sentence could Simon Levy receive?
Levy could face a whole-life prison term. He will be sentenced on 12 August 2026 at the Old Bailey, where Judge Mark Lucraft KC will deliver the ruling.
+What happens to the officers involved in the case?
Two Metropolitan Police officers are under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. British Transport Police moved two officers off investigative duties but will not discipline them for delays in the case.
News London Desk
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