Serial UK sex attacker guilty of double murder, prompting questions for police

LONDON - A British man was convicted on Aug 7 of murdering two sex workers after sexually assaulting multiple women in London, with police and prosecutors accepting they made errors which allowed him to continue his escalating offences.

Simon Levy, 40, was found guilty of the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and of Sheryl Wilkins in August 2025, as well as the rape and serious assault of a third woman in January that year.

Police had arrested Levy on suspicion of murdering Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in April 2025 but released him – after which Levy sexually assaulted five women on trains in London before he killed Wilkins, 39.

MET refers itself to Office for Police Conduct

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth from London’s Metropolitan Police told the BBC he thought Wilkins’ life could have been saved and that he had apologised to her family.

He also said the Met had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) having downgraded him in 2024 from a high-risk sex offender to a medium-risk one.

The Met said in a statement that a post-mortem could not provide a definitive cause of death for Valencia-Trujillo, meaning they could not confirm any third-party involvement and as a result released Levy.

Levy was arrested on other occasions in 2024 and early 2025 by British Transport Police (BTP) for sex attacks on trains, including after he became a suspect for rape and Valencia-Trujillo’s murder, but was granted bail.

Lisa Ramsarran from the Crown Prosecution Service said that “relevant information regarding bail” was not provided to the court, adding: “Our actions fell short of the standards that victims, families and the public are entitled to expect.”

Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Doyle from the BTP also accepted the force’s initial investigation was not carried out quickly enough. He said the BTP had amended its procedures “to ensure that repeat offenders are dealt with expeditiously and that linked offences are prioritised more effectively”.

Crimes raise ‘serious questions’: Minister

Levy was convicted on Aug 7 after a trial at London’s Old Bailey of murdering Valencia-Trujillo and Wilkins and counts of rape, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and intentional strangulation in relation to the third woman.

He had also been convicted in February after a separate trial of sexually assaulting 10 women on London trains between October 2023 and May 2025, with six of those attacks occurring in early 2025.

Levy was also found guilty of an 11th charge of sexually assaulting a prison officer in April 2022, after he had been jailed over a 2018 sexual assault.

Britain’s crime and policing minister Sarah Jones welcomed the IOPC investigation into Levy’s case.

“The fact that Levy was able to inflict such devastating harm after being freed by police and the courts is deeply concerning,” Jones said in a statement.

“It raises serious questions that require urgent answers.” REUTERS