Simon Levy Convicted of Double Murder, Rape Amid Systemic Failures
Criminal justice system missed at least 14 opportunities to detain Levy, allowing continued offending.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Carla Rooney
Simon Levy was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) failed to oppose bail; an identification parade faced inexcusable delays. Police reportedly missed Levy's use of a stolen Oyster card.
British Transport Police (BTP) received a sex assault allegation against Levy in 2018 for an incident in Battersea, south London. This confirmed an earlier awareness of his predatory behavior.
Levy was repeatedly released on bail or not arrested, despite failing to attend court hearings for other offenses. This pattern reportedly allowed him to continue targeting victims.
A senior Metropolitan Police detective asserts Ms. Wilkins' life could have been saved. Levy's reign of terror could have been stopped seven years earlier, had police linked investigations into three separate sex assaults just months apart.
Detectives believe dozens of women targeted by Levy have never been identified. The Metropolitan Police claims Levy is responsible for any similar, unsolved incidents, including deaths.
Andrea Simons states Levy was able to target his victims despite being known to police as a sexual predator. The criminal justice system missed at least 14 opportunities to lock him away.
The IOPC confirms a police constable is under investigation for gross misconduct; a detective sergeant faces a misconduct investigation.
British Transport Police confirmed two officers have been moved to other roles due to incompetence.
Kemi Badenoch claims the case of a serial sex attacker left free to murder two women is “symptomatic of the litany of failures” in the criminal justice system.
Kemi Badenoch indicated that If people believe they can get away with crimes, or will escape with a slap on the wrist if convicted, they will continue to offend.
Badenoch further claims prosecutions were undermined by police blunders. Offenders escaped conviction because the Crown Prosecution Service prepared its cases so poorly.
Judges were reportedly hamstrung by sentencing guidelines that prevented them from handing down jail terms that fit the crime, according to Badenoch.
Badenoch claims that if people believe they can get away with crimes, or will escape with a slap on the wrist if convicted, they will continue to offend.
Labour argues that early release, such as Levy's at the halfway point of his three-year sentence in February 2023, is made necessary by prison overcrowding. They accuse the Conservatives of failing to build enough prison spaces.
British Transport Police claims more women may recognize Levy and have not yet reported what has happened to them. The full extent of his crimes remains unknown.