A serial sex offender who murdered two women and raped another has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, after a court heard that multiple opportunities to prevent his crimes were missed.
Whole-life sentence
Simon Levy, 40, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday after being convicted of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, five months later. He was also convicted of raping another woman earlier that year.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC imposed a whole-life order, meaning Levy will never be released from prison.
Judge condemns offender
The judge described Levy as someone who exploited vulnerable women for his own sexual gratification. He also referred to evidence of his disturbing interest in sexual offences and crime.
Lucraft said the crimes represented a series of attacks against vulnerable women and concluded that the case warranted the highest possible sentence.
Previous convictions
Levy had a history of offences against women dating back to 2018. He was convicted of sexual assault in 2021 and was later convicted of sexually assaulting 11 other women on trains and the London Underground between 2023 and 2025.
At the time of the murders, he was on bail and being monitored by police.
Failures under investigation
The case has prompted serious questions about how Levy was managed by the police, Crown Prosecution Service and courts. The police watchdog is examining his management over several years leading up to his final arrest in September 2025.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described the handling of the case as a “whole system failing” and said authorities had previously warned that Levy posed a danger.
Families speak in court
Families of the murdered women delivered emotional victim impact statements during sentencing. Sheryl Wilkins’ sister, Lindsey Hicks, told Levy that he had destroyed their lives and said she hoped he would remain in prison for the rest of his life.
Wilkins’ mother said she took some comfort from knowing that Levy would never be free to harm anyone else.
Calls for accountability
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the victims deserved a justice system that protected them, while calling for a review of the failures across multiple agencies.
Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips also described the case as a series of failures and said the state had opportunities to prevent Levy from harming more women.
System-wide review
The case has intensified concerns about decisions to release dangerous offenders on bail. Rowley argued that police should not be expected to manage high-risk offenders in the community when other parts of the criminal justice system have concerns about their release.
Authorities are now facing pressure to identify what went wrong and ensure similar failures are not repeated.
