Police and prosecution errors left proven sex offender free to murder two women in London

Catastrophic errors by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police allowed Simon Levy, a prolific and proven sex offender, to remain free before he murdered two women in London. Levy, 40, was found guilty by an Old Bailey jury on Friday of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later. The CPS has admitted to significant errors at three court hearings in May, June, and August 2025, which directly resulted in Levy not being remanded in custody. While the CPS has not publicly detailed the precise nature of these failures, a source authorized to speak for the organization revealed that they included a failure to inform the court of Levy's arrest for the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo. Furthermore, the CPS could not locate any record or mention of Levy's past sexual assault convictions, nor that he was a suspect in a rape case from 2024. This lack of crucial information severely hampered the prosecution's ability to argue for Levy's detention. The CPS has publicly acknowledged that relevant information regarding bail was not provided to the court during bail application considerations. In a statement, the CPS admitted that their actions fell short of the standards that victims, families, and the public are entitled to expect, and conceded that a more robust approach to representations about bail should have been taken. By May 2025, law enforcement officers had already expressed grave concerns about Levy, classifying him as posing a "high risk of reoffending" with his criminal activities reportedly escalating. They had sought his remand into custody. Levy subsequently failed to appear for three Crown Court hearings related to assaults on the London tube network and trains. The CPS has accepted that there is no evidence that a warrant was sought for his detention during these non-appearances. He provided illness as an excuse for two absences and claimed he was not informed of the hearing for the third. His final missed Crown Court appearance was on August 11, 2025. Tragically, just two weeks later, on August 25, 2025, he committed the murder of Sheryl Wilkins. A CPS source has confirmed that individuals involved in the Levy case have faced disciplinary action as a consequence of these failings. The initial assaults on the London Underground and trains were investigated by British Transport Police (BTP). Officers had arrested Levy while he was traveling on a stolen Oyster travel card. However, in a further lapse, they returned the card to him without realizing it was stolen, inadvertently enabling his continued travel and access to public transport.