Tottenham double murderer and rapist given 'extremely rare' whole life sentence

It means Simon Levy will never be released from prison

A “violent predator” from Tottenham will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of two murders and multiple other offences against women.

Simon Levy, aged 40 and of Beaufoy Road, was found guilty last week of murdering Carmenza Valencia Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins in 2025, as well as two counts of rape, grievous bodily harm, and intentional strangulation of another woman that same year.

Today (Wednesday 12th) at the Old Bailey, Levy was sentenced to a whole life sentence – the most severe punishment in the UK criminal justice system – after judge Mark Lucraft KC outlined the shattering impact of Levy’s crimes.

On Sunday, 24th August 2025, at around 7.30am, Sheryl was found unresponsive in Tottenham High Road, near the entrance to B&M. She was pronounced dead at the scene and a police investigation was launched.

Levy was arrested eleven days later and, while in police custody, was further arrested on suspicion of two counts of rape, grievous bodily harm and intentional strangulation relating to another victim. This victim had been attacked in Tottenham High Road on Saturday, 25th January.

Levy was subsequently charged with the murder of Sheryl and multiple offences against the other victim, who cannot be named. Two months later, Levy was also charged with murdering 53-year-old Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, who was killed on the Aylesbury Estate, in Walworth, on Monday, 17th March.

Since Levy’s conviction last Friday (7th) the Metropolitan Police Service has been strongly criticised for the way it handled his earlier violent and sexual attacks against women, prior to Sheryl’s murder.

As well as the crimes has has been convicted of, this also includes reports of sexual assaults against women on public transport.

Speaking today, Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said: “Carmenza Valencia Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkin’s lives were cut short by Levy’s horrific and violent actions and our thoughts remain with their families and friends. They have shown unwavering resilience throughout this investigation and the trial process.

“I must also commend the victim-survivor who showed considerable bravery and presented vital evidence in court. Her testimony was crucial in ensuring that Levy will now spend his life in prison.

“I am proud of the work of my team in securing this verdict, but that work does not stop here. We remain relentless in pursuing offenders who perpetrate violence against women and girls and are appealing to anyone who is yet to report offences relating to Levy to come forward.

“Reporting rape or sexual assault is daunting – many victim-survivors will have concerns about speaking to the police – but we want to be clear that our priority is their safety and we continue to work with partners across London to raise awareness of the support we can provide.”

After Carmenza’s killing, police officers arrested Levy on suspicion of murder on Tuesday, 1st April 2025. However, they claimed a post-mortem examination could not provide a definitive cause of death, meaning they were unable to confirm whether there was any third-party involvement.

As a result, Levy was bailed while further investigative work was carried out.

The Met says this is “standard procedure” as the “charge threshold for murder is high” and could not be reached at that time.

After being arrested again six months later, on suspicion of Sheryl’s murder, the Met’s specialist crime unit worked to establish Levy’s offending pattern and explored unsolved cases with similar modus operandi.

As well as linking him to Carmenza’s murder, new evidence also led detectives to re-open a report of a rape and non-fatal strangulation of another woman, aged in her 30s, that had occurred in Tottenham High Road in January 2025.

All three attacks were tied together as part of a single, joint investigation ahead of Levy’s five-week trial at the Old Bailey.

Sheryl Wilkins (left) and Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo (right)

The Met now says that the “breadth and volume of his offending made the investigation incredibly challenging”.

However, in January this year, the Met made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), with an independent investigation still ongoing.

Before the findings are published, the Met says it has already implemented changes across the force. This includes “refreshed training around the way officers share intelligence to identify risk”.

On the ground, specialist officers are now deployed across Haringey and Enfield to “strengthen the Met’s work to protect vulnerable people involved in street‑based sex work across the areas”.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth said: “We know that this case has raised questions around the way Levy was handled and we have carefully reflected on the opportunities missed to prevent his violent offending. It highlighted that improvements needed to be made and we have not waited for the outcome of the IOPC’s report to implement change.

“As the commissioner recently said, we are concerned by the fragility of the criminal justice system. As we have seen in Levy’s case, despite clear risk and rapid escalation, the courts defaulted to bail on two occasions. We now need to work together, with other judicial partners, to create and implement a plan of action which sees repeat offenders – like Levy – automatically placed on remand to protect the wider public.”

Throughout the investigation both Carmenza and Sheryl’s families have received specialist support.

Carmenza’s children described her as a big character who was full of life. She welcomed a grandchild in 2024, and was a much-loved member of the community, often enjoying salsa dancing.

Sheryl’s family said she was a much-loved woman and mother of four, who is missed every day by those who knew her.

Anyone with information about Levy who is yet to speak to police can do so via 101, quoting 4779/7AUG. People can also contact the incident room directly on 07751 700 330 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.