Warning: this page contains distressing details
Serial sex offender Simon Levy - who killed two women and raped a third while on bail for other offences - has been sentenced to a whole life jail term
Levy was found guilty last week of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins in 2025, as well as the violent rape of a third woman
Levy is a registered sex offender and was being monitored by police at the time of the attacks
His offending dates back years - he was reported to Metropolitan Police for a sexual assault in 2017
He then assaulted two women in 2018, at Notting Hill carnival and a party in Camden, but wasn't convicted for those offences until 2021
After being released from prison - where he sexually assaulted a female officer - he committed other assaults, including on the Tube, before the 2025 murders
There was a series of disastrous decisions by authorities, writes Daniel De Simone
Elliot Burrin
Reporting from court
Simon Levy is escorted out of the court.
His face shows no visible emotion as he stands up and leaves the dock.
The judge then adjourns proceedings. Family members stand up and talk to one another before slowly filing out.
That marks the end of Levy's sentencing - we'll bring you the rest of the judge's comments shortly.
Amy Johnston
Reporting from court
Both families are gripping each others hands as they listen to the final sentence being read out.
Elliot Burrin
Reporting from court
A family member in the court gasps aloud, saying "yes", as the judge says the starting point for the sentence is a whole life order.
Upstairs in the public gallery, a woman is in tears and others are holding their hands as the judge continues to deliver the sentencing.
Simon Levy has been sentenced to a whole life order.
He is also sentenced to concurrent life sentences for the other charges he was found guilty of.
The judge is still going through the details of his sentence - you can watch live at the top of the page.
The "striking similarity" between the deaths of Valencia-Trujillo and Wilkins is "deeply troubling", says judge Mark Lucraft KC.
The concern is "more stark" when the three attacks are "seen alongside the material" that authorities found on Levy's phone and computer, Lucraft says.
This material revealed a "clear interest" in sex, and in particular rape and crime - with the judge telling Levy that he "appears to have a morbid fascination" with these things.
Levy has "significant convictions for sexual offences upon women", the judge adds.
The judge says Levy was arrested on 1 April 2025 and was interviewed about the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, but that he made not comment in response to all questions.
He says he met with Sheryl Wilkins on 24 August that year, with the pair seen on CCTV going to the same car park that the attack in January took place.
He adds that Levy was seen leaving the area 50 minutes later, with Sheryl's body being found later by police.
The judge says Sheryl had "no fewer than 83" areas of injury or marks, including on her head and upper body.
He adds that the pathologist was unable to give her cause of death - and some injuries on her body were not caused on the night, while the toxicology report revealed a history of drug use.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC moves on to 16 March 2025, when he met the second victim, Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo.
There is CCTV footage of her walking in London, which are the last sightings of her alive.
Levy is seen several times on CCTV footage, later that day making his way to Elephant and Castle tube station.
About 24 hours later, on 17 March 2025, a 999 call was made and the police alerted to an unresponsive female who was found in a stairwell at Wendover House. Carmenza was found lying face down. She was wearing a jacket and several layers of clothing, "her trouser bottoms were not fully pulled up".
The post mortem could not give a cause of death, but the pathologist showed numerous injuries, some of which were recent and were to the head, neck, torso, upper and lower limbs.
There was also bruising to the neck. Toxicology revealed Carmenza had taken cocaine, he says.
Examination confirmed DNA from the blood matched Levy's DNA and forensic examination showed DNA from semen matching his, the judge adds.
Cachella Smith
Reporting from court
Delivering his remarks this afternoon, the judge speaks softly. Tapping can be heard from the press benches as they type into their laptops to take down his comments.
Family members of the victims are seated on the judge's left hand side.
As Lucraft goes through the particulars of the crimes, some of the family members become visibly emotional and can be seen grabbing tissues from a box placed nearby.
Some of the details are particularly distressing.
In the public gallery, which is completely full, people are leaning forward to hear the him.
Some have their hands covering their faces in shock as they are listening to the description of Levy’s attacks - in the dock, he does not react.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC starts his remarks by stating the offences which Levy was found guilty of on Friday - two counts of rape, grievous bodily harm with intent, intentional suffocation and two murders.
The offences reflect "a series of attacks by you upon vulnerable women" who undertook sex work due to drug addiction, he says.
Levy is "clearly someone who ruthlessly exploits others for your own personal satisfaction", the judge says.
He outlines the attack on the surviving victim in January 2025.
The judge says while raping the surviving victim, Levy fractured her right shoulder and "strangled her to such an extent that she become unconscious".
Elliot Burrin
Reporting from court
Judge Mark Lucraft KC is now addressing the defendant, Simon Levy.
Levy is sitting in the dock, surrounded by three prison officers. He is staring intently forward, looking directly at the judge.
Family members in the court are glued to the judge as his begins his remarks - some are sitting close to one another and a couple appear emotional.
Cachella Smith
Reporting from court
A few people left the court very briefly as the judge retired.
But it was only a couple of minutes before they were called back to their seats.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC is now back in his seat - and he begins his sentencing comments. You can watch live at the top of the page.
Elliot Burrin
Reporting from court
Throughout the emotional victim impact statements, defendant Simon Levy sat still and stared straight ahead.
Now, he is glancing around the courtroom, still wearing sunglasses. He is surrounded by three prison officers.
Shortly the judge will deliver his sentence. You'll be able to watch live at the top of the page.
Cachella Smith
Reporting from court
The judge has now retired to consider what he has heard in the last hour.
After the impact statements, Simon Levy's barrister, Siobhan Grey, made a brief representation acknowledging the nature of his offending and the aggravating factors.
They point to mitigating factors and reference the defendant's blindness in one eye, as well as a language developmental disorder.
The judge is set to return shortly with the sentence.
Cachella Smith
Reporting from court
The court is now hearing a statement from the surviving victim who was violently raped by Levy. It is being read to the courtroom by a barrister.
The statement starts with the victim saying she has "no words" but that she will "try".
She says Levy has taken her "soul" and her "dignity", and she didn't want to go to court but she also didn't want other girls to be attacked.
The attack has affected her trust in people, she continues, concluding that she wants to "try and forget this monster" and "play music again and smile".
Elliot Burrin
Reporting from court
The court is continuing to hear victim impact statements - the next to be read out is from Sheryl Wilkins's mother, and is being read by prosecutor Kerry Broome.
In the statement, Sheryl's mother says she died a day before her 40th birthday. "She should have seen her grandchildren. She should have grown old with us."
She says it was "cowardly" for Simon Levy to plead not guilty - and that in the trial "we were forced to relive the details of the crime".
The statement continues, with Sheryl's mother saying she feels "completely broken" and the family are "struggling in ways we cannot express".
The last time she saw her daughter, Sheryl's mother says they said "I love you" three times, "because that was what we always did".
"This was the destruction of a life, a family and a future."
Cachella Smith
Reporting from court
Nazly Fuenmayor Valencia - Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo's daughter - is the next to describe the impact of Levy's crimes before the judge.
Her statement is emotional and her voice frequently breaks as she's speaking, but she delivers it through to the end.
People in the public gallery are in tears as she reads it, while some other family members hold hands and appear emotional.
She tells the court that in a million years her family "never expected" to lose their mum like this, saying there's an emptiness that can't be filled.
Fuenmayor Valencia describes her mum as a "beautiful woman inside and out", and says she is "lucky" to call her her mum, before talking of the mental health impact her murder has had on her.
She adds her mum came to this country for a "better life" and for "safety" - but her life was "taken so cruelly".
Elliot Burrin
Reporting from court
The victim impact statements are now being read to court.
Lindsey Hicks, sister of victim Sheryl Wilkins, stands up in court to read hers. She struggles to get her words out between deep breaths and tears, and is visibly emotional.
"You, Simon Levy, have destroyed our lives," she says, adding that they should be growing up together like sisters do, but instead "last year has been the worst year in our lives".
She pauses to dab her eyes with a tissue.
Hicks then talks about having to go home after each day in court on public transport, carrying with her the awareness of what happened to her sister - adding that there are not enough words to express her grief.
"We will continue to live as a loving family through our loss, supporting each other. You don’t get to take that away," she tells Levy.
"I hope you rot in prison for the rest of your life."
Amy Johnston
Reporting from court
Simon Levy spoke in court for the first time today in weeks to confirm his name.
He is sitting in the docks wearing the same grey jumper he has been wearing every day. He’s being supervised by two prison guards.
He has been brought to court from prison every day since late June and has remained silent over weeks’ worth of evidence. On some days he was making notes in an A4 pad of paper.
Levy refused to be cross-examined or take the witness stand to give evidence himself during his trial for murders and rape.
He wore dark sunglasses throughout, due to an irreversible eye condition called “phthisis bulbi”, causing him to be partially blind.
Last Friday, Investigating Detective Chief Inspector Neil John from the Metropolitan Police said that throughout Levy’s six-week trial, “he has shown complete disregard for the victims and victim-survivor, despite being fully aware of the lasting and devastating impact of his actions”.
Daniel De Simone
Investigations correspondent, reporting from court
Before the impact statements are read to court, we briefly hear from the prosecution.
Prosecutor Tom Little KC says the starting point for Levy's sentence should be a whole life order because the murders involved sexual conduct.
Cachella Smith
reporting from court
Seats in courtroom 6 at the Old Bailey have been filled with journalists as well as a number of family members of Levy's victims as today's hearing begins.
Extra seats were brought in in the half hour before proceedings started so that as many people as possible could sit in the courtroom.
Levy confirmed his name at the start before prosecutor Tom Little KC sets out how the proceedings will go.
He says we will hear four impact statements this morning - including from Sheryl Wilkins' mother and sister. We'll hear the impact statements shortly.
