Simon Levy rape victim brands double murderer a ‘monster’ and says he ‘took away my soul’

A woman who was raped by serial sex offender Simon Levy has branded him a “monster” after he was jailed for life on Wednesday.

Levy was found guilty last Friday at the Old Bailey of killing grandmother Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in March 2025 and mother-of-four Sheryl Wilkins, 39, in August that year, as his sexual offending spiralled into murder.

At his sentencing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Levy, 40, was confronted by families of the murder victims, as well as a third woman who was brutally raped by the killer but survived being smothered until she was unconscious.

Levy raped the third woman in January 2025, before he went on to kill his two victims, and the court heard how she had described her attacker to police and even pointed out where he lived in Tottenham.

But it was months later, after Levy had committed the murders, that a formal statement was taken from the woman.

In her victim impact statement, read out by prosecutor Kerry Broome, she branded Levy a “monster” and a “parasite” and told the court she thought she would die on the night of the attack.

She said: “He took my soul like a parasite to make him stronger and make me weaker. I feel like people have taken advantage of me all my life.

“I can’t forget the smell of his sweaty hands on my mouth. I thought I would die.

“It’s taken me a long time to trust people, I can trust a small number of friends. I want to try to forget this monster.”

She told the court she became a drug addict and a sex worker after being trafficked to the UK, and said the night she was attacked by Levy “was worse than all the nights of being a victim of trafficking”.

In another victim impact statement, the sister of a woman murdered by Levy branded his crimes “evil” and told him: “I hope you rot in prison for the rest of your life.”

Lindsey Hicks, Ms Wilkins’ sister, wrote: “I hope you rot in prison for the rest of your life.”

She tearfully told the double murderer: “You Simon Levy have destroyed our lives and we will never get over this. Sheryl was a beautiful soul who you cruelly took away in an evil act of crime.

“We should have been growing old together like sisters do and be there to support each other. Instead, I’m having to realise that one day in the near future I will be older than my big sister.

“We hope you spend the rest of your miserable life behind bars and we get justice for Sheryl.

“This last year has been the worst year of our lives; the pain we have been put through is unbearable. Sheryl’s life was taken unlawfully and violently.”

She ended her statement by telling the killer: “Know this, you lose. We get to leave here today knowing we will keep Sheryl alive by sharing memories about her and living for her.

“We will continue to live as a loving family through our loss, supporting each other. You don’t get to take that away.”

Ms Wilkins’ mother, Mary Wilkins, said she takes a “small measure of comfort” that Levy is now locked up and will never be free again.

“You, Simon Levy, have completely destroyed our lives”, she wrote, in her statement.

“You have done this before and wouldn’t have stopped.

“Our Sheryl has ended your chances of hurting anyone else, she lost her life to do this, but we truly believe Sheryl has saved countless women from being subjected to your disgusting and horrendous acts.”

When Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London, handed Levy a whole-life prison term – meaning he will die in prison – a cry of “yes” was heard from the families of the victims.

The killer was seen smiling as he entered the dock to be sentenced, he stayed silent during his murder trial, and spoke on Wednesday simply to say “yes” to confirm his name.

The judge noted that Levy pleaded not guilty to the charges, and he has never offered an explanation for what he did.

Nazly Johana Fuenmayor Valencia, the daughter of murdered Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, said her mother was a “beautiful woman” who loved animals.

Delivering a victim impact statement to the court, the grieving daughter said she has been “ripped apart” by the death of Ms Valencia-Trujillo.

“There’s an emptiness that can’t be filled,” she said.

“We have been living a nightmare we cannot wake up from. We don’t know why she was taken from us. The rest of our lives will never be the same.”

Paying tribute to her mother, she said: “She was a truly special person who gave so much love to others. Her kindness, her smile and the love she shared so freely will stay with us forever.”

Ms Fuenmayor Valencia said her mother had come to this country to give her children a better life and for safety, adding: “Instead her life was taken so cruelly.”