BRITAIN’S broken justice system was in the dock today over deadly blunders which left a predator free to carry out a spree of murders and sex attacks on women.
and prosecutors faced questions for failing to stop half blind serial attacker Simon Levy, 40, in his tracks.
Jurors heard that Simon Levy was already a registered sex offender Credit: PA
The unemployed loner, who lived with his mum, was found guilty of killing Sheryl Wilkins Credit: PA
The monster murdered two sex workers, left another for dead and sexually assaulted ten young women on the .
He embarked on the shocking rampage just weeks after being freed from a three-year sentence for molesting two women in public.
Levy was subject to a sexual offenders’ order and should have been carefully monitored.
But he remained free to strike repeatedly, despite continually coming to the attention of the .
Levy was found guilty of the murders of sex workers Carmenza Valencia Trujillo Credit: PA
Levy was twice charged with groping multiple women on the Tube – but freed each time Credit: Central News
As well as two murders, the brute was also convicted of suffocating and raping a prostitute Credit: PA
It can now be revealed that following his release from jail, Levy was arrested on suspicion of murder and twice charged with groping multiple women on the Tube – but freed each time.
He also failed to appear at three crown court hearings over the sexual assaults on trains – but no warrant was ever sought for his arrest.
Uproar broke out as the scandalous failings emerged when Levy was found guilty of the murders of sex workers Carmenza Valencia Trujillo, 53, and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, at the Old Bailey.
The brute was also convicted of suffocating another prostitute, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, until she was unconscious, and raping her.
Levy was separately found guilty earlier this year of sexually assaulting ten women on London’s Tube network over a 19-month period – and is suspected of further attacks.
The unemployed loner, who lived with his mum in Tottenham, North London, had previously been jailed for groping two women at music festivals in 2018.
He was recalled to on 28 May, 2024 after an allegation of rape was made against him and served the remainder of his tariff behind bars.
He was released on 23 August under the supervision of a sex offender monitoring team.
But a catalogue of missed opportunities by two police forces, two , and the CPS allowed him to prowl the streets unsupervised.
Bodyworn footage of Levy being arrested in his home Credit: PA
Levy was arrested by Met officers on suspicion of murder on 1 April Credit: PA
The jobless 40-year-old lived with his mother in Tottenham Credit: PA
Levy was arrested and charged with Sheryl’s murder on September 7 Credit: Met Police
Just ten weeks after being freed, on November 4, Levy was arrested by officers on suspicion of two Tube sex attacks on 21 and 28 October.
He had a staff Oyster card – labelled “Bus Operator” – in his possession, which it later transpired had been lost by a TfL worker.
Levy was bailed the following day, until 21 January, and the card was returned to him by officers.
It took until 29 December for BTP cops to request ID parades – meaning Levy’s police bail was extended until 16 April – by which time he had murdered one sex worker and left another for dead.
On 25 January last year, a prostitute told cops that Levy had raped, strangled and brutally beat her four days earlier – leaving her with a broken collarbone – in a B&M car park in Tottenham.
The homeless woman – trafficked into the UK – gave police the exact location of where he lived.
But she was never formally interviewed because she was withdrawing from and the case was shelved six months later.
Two months after that attack, on 16 March, Levy murdered mum-of-two Carmenza and dumped her body in the stairwell of a derelict building in Peckham, southeast London.
Sheryl near the car park of the B&M store in Tottenham Credit: PA
Levy groped ten women on the Tube before he murdered the two women Credit: PA
Levy seen at the Seven Sisters Tube station Credit: PA
Levy was subject to a sexual offenders’ order and should have been carefully monitored Credit: PA
He was arrested by Met officers on suspicion of murder on April 1 – one of seven suspects in total held over her murder – and released under .
Levy was then re-arrested on 1 May by cops after molesting a woman on the Tube that day.
They returned the staff Oyster card to Levy again without yet realising it was stolen.
He appeared in custody before Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court two days later accused of groping six women on Tube trains between October 2023 and May 2025.
District Judge Michael Oliver sent the case for trial at Inner London Crown Court and freed him on conditional bail despite being given police computer files stating he was also under investigation for murder.
The CPS opposed Levy’s bail but today admitted not all relevant information had been provided to the district judge.
The killer’s next escape from custody came on 3 June when he failed to appear at his first hearing at Inner London Crown Court.
His defence said he was too ill to attend and it was accepted without challenge.
No warrant was issued for his arrest.
Levy was then brought back to Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 21 June after BTP arrested him for failing to comply with a condition not to travel on the TfL network.
He was also charged with two fresh sex assaults on the Tube in April and May that year.
But BTP failed to mention the ongoing murder investigation in their second remand application.
Levy was given conditional bail yet again by magistrates – with no electronic tag to track his whereabouts or curfew.
The CPS conceded that “not all relevant information was put before the court.”
He again failed to attend Inner London Crown Court for his next appearance on 18 July.
Once more, no warrant was sought for his arrest with the defendant and his solicitors claiming they were unaware of the hearing.
The case was adjourned until 11 August when Levy again failed to show up.
On that occasion, the killer’s barrister explained his client’s absence by saying he was suffering from mental illness which was accepted by the court and prosecution and no warrant was issued.
Levy murdered Sheryl 13 days later in the early hours of August 21 in the same Tottenham B&M car park where he raped and tried to strangle the sex worker victim in January.
He was arrested and charged with her murder on September 7.
Police today admitted her death was preventable.
It has now been revealed that two police officers are under investigation for misconduct after the serial sex offender was convicted of murdering two women and raping a third.
Two BTP officers have been moved to other roles due to their “incompetence” in handling the case, the force said.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth said: “The obvious conclusion is that if he had been remanded at that point, he would not have been able to go on to commit that murder.”
The police chief admitted a “collective system failure” left Levy free to kill.
The Met has voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its handling of the case.
DAC Southworth branded the killer “one of the most dangerous and prolific offenders” police have encountered in recent times.
He said: “Two people have lost their lives and other victims have suffered serious sexual offences at the hands of a prolific predatory monster….Obviously there’s got to be a point of serious reflection for all of us.”
The Met has examined unsolved murder case files but is not currently looking at Levy in connection with other deaths.
However, the force say they cannot rule out the possibility he has struck before.
DAC Southworth appealed for anyone who may have information about him to come forward.
Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Fulton, BTP’s Head of and Public Protection, also admitted more should have been done to stop Levy in his tracks.
DCSI Fulton described the ID parade blunder in the Tube sex assaults case as “incompetence.”
He said the detective constable in the case and their supervising sergeant have since been moved away from frontline investigative work.
BTP Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Doyle said: “Our thoughts remain with Levy’s victims and their families, and I commend those who took the stand to give evidence against him in the trial in January for the horrific sexual assaults he committed against them.
“We understand that Levy’s actions will have a life-long impact on his victims and acknowledge that our initial investigation was not carried out at a fast enough pace.
“It is clear that opportunities to expedite the investigation were missed and we have amended our procedures to address these issues to ensure that repeat offenders are dealt with expeditiously and that linked offences are prioritised more effectively.
“It is possible that there are other victims of Levy who have not yet reported what happened to them. If you recognise Levy and believe you may have been a victim of his offending, I encourage you to come forward and report it to us by texting 61016.”
CPS Chief Crown Prosecutor Lisa Ramsarran said: “We recognise the level of concern around this case and we have carried out a detailed of our handling.
“We accept there was relevant information regarding bail that was not provided to the court, when bail applications were being considered.
“Our actions fell short of the standards that victims, families and the public are entitled to expect.
“In particular, there were points where we could and should have taken a more robust approach to representations about bail, based on the information available.
“We cannot know what decisions the courts would have made had different or stronger representations been advanced.
“But we recognise our responsibility and we are sorry for the shortcomings we have identified.
“We are taking action to strengthen training, case oversight and our approach to bail and risk in serious sexual offence cases.
“These cases were handled in the context of a criminal justice system under significant pressure, including busy court lists, late or incomplete information and the need for swift decisions across agencies.
“That does not lessen our responsibility for the shortcomings identified, but it is important to set out the circumstances in which they occurred.
“This case involved appalling violence against women, including those targeted in public spaces and we hope these convictions provide some measure of justice to the victims and their families.”
Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, said: “This was a horrifying case. My thoughts are with the families of Carmenza Valencia Trujillo, Sheryl Wilkins and all those who suffered at the hands of Simon Levy. I also want to commend the survivor who bravely came forward and helped bring this monster to justice.
“The fact that Levy was able to inflict such devastating harm after being freed by police and the courts is deeply concerning. It raises serious questions that require urgent answers.
“It is right that the IOPC are investigating how this happened, in addition to internal reviews by the organisations involved. Any failures must be identified and must not be repeated.”
Fay Maxted OBE, Chief Executive of rape prevention The Survivor’s Trust, said women are paying the price for the “broken” criminal justice system.
She told The Sun: “This shocking case highlights just how broken our criminal justice system is and the price is being paid by women.
“It beggars belief that someone facing rape allegations, questioned over a murder and arrested multiple times for assaulting women on the Tube, was then released on bail by a court, not once but twice.
“This awful case poses questions around how sex workers are responded to when reporting rape, how offenders are monitored in the community, and how much training magistrates courts have to enable them to effectively risk assessing someone with a of sexual offences against women.
“Magistrates courts need to be empowered to remand suspects and impose stricter sentences based on a clear understanding of the risk of escalation in sexual offences.
“There is much talk about the lack of space in prisons but there has to be a prioritisation of offenders who are clearly posing a risk to life threat to women.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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