Serial sex attacker Simon Levy was free to kill after claiming that he could not be in crowds despite being charged with attacking women on packed trains, court transcripts reveal.
Guilty verdicts
Levy, 40, is facing a whole life sentence after he was today found guilty of murdering grandmother Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, and mum-of-three Sheryl Wilkins, 39. An Old Bailey jury reached verdicts after deliberating for 13 hours.
Levy, who wore sunglasses in court, made no reaction as the verdicts were delivered and members of the victims' families wept.
Missed opportunities
It can now be revealed that prosecutors did not request an arrest warrant for the "prolific predatory monster" 13 days before he killed Sheryl. Levy had failed to appear at Inner London Crown Court on August 11 last year where he was charged with sex attacks on eight women on the London transport network.
He was also a convicted sex offender under investigation for Carmenza's murder six months earlier and had already broken his bail conditions six times. But prosecutor Marion Smullen did not tell judge Ian Darling that Levy, who was blind in one eye, was a suspect in a sexually motivated murder and a separate rape attack.
Ms Smullen told the court: "In short, apparently the defendant has got mental health problems. [He] emailed defence solicitors yesterday to say he’s not well enough to attend. Given what defence counsel said, I don’t seek a warrant at this stage."
Mental health claims
Katie McFadden, for Levy, said that her client had "significant mental health issues". Ms McFadden told the court: "He suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following an attack in which he was seriously injured including being left partially blind due to this. He suffers being in places around crowds of people, in busy places and therefore has contacted us yesterday to explain that he simply didn’t feel well enough to attend court."
The lawyer explained that this had been the reason for him missing an earlier court hearing. He had provided a fitness to work letter from his doctor in June.
Judge Darling appeared to question the defence solicitor about Levy's claim he could not be in crowded places when he was charged with attacking women on Tube trains. He said: "Perhaps he avoids the rush hour. All right, I am not being asked for a warrant therefore, and there are mental health difficulties and that much is clear."
Rush hour attacks
Levy had in fact attacked many of his victims at rush hour when he used the packed carriages as a pretext for getting close to them while dressed in a poncho or holding a sweater over his arm to cover his hands.
The judge fixed the next hearing date for September 8 and warned that he would be "at risk of a warrant" if he failed to attend. But by then it was too late for Sheryl who Levy murdered on August 24 last year. Her body was discovered behind a wall in a car park in Tottenham, North London, in the same location where he raped and beat a trafficked sex worker the previous January. Sheryl had 83 injuries to her face and head, upper body and arms and legs.
Earlier hearing
A transcript of the earlier hearing at the same court on June 3 reveals no warrant was requested for Levy's arrest on that occasion. Judge Freya Newbery was also not informed that Levy was under investigation for Carmenza's murder and an alleged rape in May 2024. His barrister claimed he was too unwell to attend court but had not provided any medical evidence to prove this.
Judge Newbery said: "Well, I am sorry he is not feeling that well, but I do not think it is anywhere near sort of – I mean, obviously I would need a medical note for him not to attend." Levy's lawyer told the court her client claimed to have been prescribed the anti-anxiety medication Setraline which would take a month to take effect. She made no mention of PTSD, instead saying he had been diagnosed with Developmental Disorder, possible Autism Spectrum Disorder and had very poor verbal comprehension.
Judge Newbery responded by raising her concerns that Levy was a convicted sex offender charged with six new attacks on women, describing him as a "menace". No application for a warrant to arrest Levy was made by the prosecution, allowing Levy to remain free.
Further failures
Magistrates had previously rejected a request from prosecutors to remand him into custody but the Crown Prosecution Service has admitted they were not given the full picture. And earlier delays by British Transport Police officers meant Levy had been free to kill Carmenza on March 16 last year.
The Colombian-born gran was found in a disused block of flats in Walworth, South East London. A pipe smeared with Levy's blood was found next to the victim, also a sex worker, and his DNA was on her body. He was arrested on April 1 but later bailed after the cause of Carmenza's death could not be ascertained.
The authorities missed at least eleven chances to stop him after first arresting the predator in November 2023.
Previous convictions
Levy was jailed for three years after sexually assaulting two women in 2018. He was jailed earlier this year for assaulting ten women while travelling on the Tube network between October 2023 and May 2025 while he was under the supervision of probation and violent sex offender monitoring teams. He was handed a six year term.
Levy had denied murder, rape, grievous bodily harm with intent and non-fatal suffocation.
Apology
Lisa Ramsarran, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, apologised for not providing courts with relevant information when Levy was repeatedly bailed. She said: “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 recognise our responsibility and we are sorry for the shortcomings we have identified."
