Simon Levy, 40, was found guilty on Friday, 7 August, at the Old Bailey of the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins in 2025 and raping another woman. Five days later, on 12 August, he was sentenced to a whole-life order.<\/p>\n
However, the verdict has sparked fury over how Levy was allowed to remain free before committing the killings, with commentators describing the justice failures as 'catastrophic.' At the time Levy killed Wilkins, he was on bail as a suspect in Valencia-Trujillo's murder.<\/p>\n
Several people have questioned why Levy was walking free in the first place, despite being on the sex offenders' register and having previously been imprisoned multiple times for sexual assault.<\/p>\n
Police and prosecutors have acknowledged serious shortcomings, while campaigners have described the failures as evidence of a criminal justice system that is failing vulnerable women.<\/p>\n
London Mayor Sadiq Khan addressed the justice system's failures, saying: 'Time and time again, opportunities to stop him were missed.'<\/p>\n
Khan also said he was appalled by both Levy's crimes and the multiple failures across different agencies, which he said could have prevented him from harming and ultimately killing more women.<\/p>\n
The mayor also said the agencies involved require a review and that he would continue to work with the Metropolitan Police to ensure incidents like this do not happen again.<\/p>\n
'No woman or girl should be, or feel, unsafe in London,' Mayor Khan said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy said Levy should not have been allowed back on the streets and called the case a 'serious institutional failure.'<\/p>\n
Timothy also wrote a letter to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing that it was partly responsible because of its failure to put Levy back in prison despite warnings from authorities.<\/p>\n
The Shadow Justice Secretary ended the letter by seeking accountability from the CPS.<\/p>\n
'I ask that you provide me and the public with a full account of why prosecutors did not present all available evidence, why they did not argue forcefully for Mr Levy's remand, and what actions you are taking to prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again.'<\/p>\n
The Metropolitan Police have issued a statement following the conviction of serial sex offender Simon Levy. The 40-year-old, from Tottenham, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, as well as raping a third woman. Levy is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, August 12 #mylondonnews #london #crime #police #simonlevy<\/p>\n
The Centre for Women's Justice also spoke about the case, describing the criminal justice system as being in a state of collapse.<\/p>\n
Chief executive Harriet Wistrich argued that the incident should prompt a rethinking of policing. Wistrich also called for the police force to be disbanded and for measures to be taken to restore public trust and confidence.<\/p>\n