Simon Levy has been sentenced to a whole life term for a series of horrific crimes, meaning he will spend the rest of his life behind bars and will never be released. The sentence follows his conviction for two murders and a rape. Delivering his remarks, the judge described Levy as a man who had ruthlessly exploited others for his own personal sexual satisfaction, underlining the gravity of a case that has shocked the public and left several families devastated.
Levy's victims included 39 year old Cheryl Wilkins, who was murdered in August, and 53 year old Carmenza Valencia Trujillo, described as his first murder victim, who died in March 2025. A third woman, who was violently raped in January 2025, cannot be named for legal reasons and was said to have been a victim of trafficking. Together, their cases formed the basis of the charges that led to Levy receiving the most severe sentence available.
Before the sentence was passed, the court heard powerful statements from the families of the victims. Cheryl Wilkins' sister, Lindsay, addressed Levy directly, telling him that everything her family had suffered was because of him, but insisting that he had ultimately lost. She said the family would keep Cheryl alive by sharing memories of her and living for her, adding that she hoped he would rot in prison for the rest of his life.
Cheryl's mother, Mary Wilkins, told the court that Levy had completely destroyed the family's lives, saying he had done such things before and would not have stopped. She expressed a belief that her daughter had saved countless other women from being subjected to his acts, and said she hoped he would never walk the streets again because he was a threat to all women. The raw grief of the statements filled the courtroom.
The daughter of Carmenza Valencia Trujillo, named as Nazely, said the family had been living a nightmare from which they could not wake, and that their lives would never be the same. She recalled that her mother had come to the country to give her children a better and safer life, only for that life to be taken from her so cruelly. The woman who was raped told the court there were no words, saying Levy had taken away her soul and her dignity.
Beyond the sentence, the case has raised serious questions about the conduct of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. In May 2025, while Levy was already under investigation for the first murder, he was arrested and charged with sexual offences, but was then released on bail. A month later he was arrested and charged again, and again released on bail, and he failed to attend Crown Court on two occasions in the weeks leading up to Cheryl Wilkins' death in August.
Those repeated missed opportunities have prompted scrutiny of how Levy was allowed to remain free. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation, and two police officers have been served with gross misconduct notices, though that does not in itself mean they have done anything wrong. The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will take lessons from the case and apologised to the victims, while police warned there could be further victims given the scale of Levy's offending over many years.
