Serial sex offender Simon Levy has been sentenced to a whole-life prison term after being convicted of murdering two women and violently raping another in London.
Levy was found guilty last week of murdering 53-year-old Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and 39-year-old Sheryl Wilkins in 2025. He was also convicted of two counts of rape, grievous bodily harm with intent and intentional suffocation.
Sentencing him at the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said Levy’s crimes were among the rare cases warranting a whole-life order.
He said the case was not “in any way a borderline case”, adding that the aggravating circumstances significantly outweighed any mitigating factors.
The whole-life orders mean Levy will spend the rest of his life in prison. He was also given concurrent life sentences with a minimum term of 12 years for the two rape charges.
History of sexual offending
The court heard that Levy had a long history of sexual offences and was a registered sex offender who was being monitored by police when he carried out the attacks.
He was first reported to the Metropolitan Police for a sexual assault in 2017. He later assaulted two women in 2018, including one at Notting Hill Carnival and another at a party in Camden.
Although those offences occurred in 2018, Levy was not convicted until 2021.
After serving a prison sentence, during which he sexually assaulted a female prison officer, he committed further offences, including attacks on the London Underground, before the 2025 murders.
Judge Lucraft said Levy had a “morbid fascination” with rape and crime, based on material found on his phone and computer.
Details of the murders
The court heard that Levy met Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo on 16 March 2025. CCTV captured her walking through London in what were her final known sightings alive.
Levy was also seen on CCTV several times that day before making his way towards Elephant and Castle station.
The following day, Valencia-Trujillo was found unresponsive in a stairwell at Wendover House. She had suffered multiple injuries, including bruising to her neck.
Forensic examination later found Levy’s DNA in evidence recovered from the scene.
The judge also described the attack on Sheryl Wilkins, who Levy was seen with on CCTV on 24 August 2025.
The pair were seen entering the same car park where the attack took place. Levy was captured leaving the area about 50 minutes later, while Wilkins’ body was later discovered by police.
The court heard that Wilkins had 83 areas of injury or marks on her body.
Victims’ families speak
The sentencing hearing also heard emotional statements from the victims’ relatives.
Valencia-Trujillo’s daughter, Nazly Fuenmayor Valencia, said her family never expected to lose their mother in such circumstances.
She described her mother as a beautiful woman and said she had come to the UK hoping for a better and safer life.
Wilkins’ mother said her daughter died just one day before her 40th birthday and should have had the opportunity to grow old and see her grandchildren.
She described Levy’s actions as the “destruction of a life, a family and a future”.
The surviving victim, whose statement was read in court, said Levy had taken her “soul” and dignity. She said she did not want to attend court but felt it was important to ensure other women were not attacked.
She said she hoped to eventually put the experience behind her, play music again and smile.
Judge Lucraft praised her for the “considerable courage” she showed in giving evidence.
He also acknowledged the lasting psychological, physical and financial impact of the murders on the victims’ families.
Levy showed little emotion during the proceedings and stared ahead as the judge delivered the sentence.
He was eventually escorted from the dock by prison officers.
The case has also prompted scrutiny of a series of decisions by authorities that allowed Levy to remain free despite his extensive history of sexual offending.
SOURCE: BBC