A sense of unease settled over Tottenham as news emerged of a double murder trial, with allegations of rape and assault that have left a community reeling. Simon Levy, 40, from Tottenham, north London, denies the charges against him regarding the deaths of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 54, and Sheryl Wilkins, 39.
During Monday's opening of the trial at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Tom Little KC outlined a history of sexual assault convictions against Mr Levy. Since July 2018, he has accumulated 13 offences, including a conviction in September 2021 for sexual assaults committed between July and August 2018, and another 11 convictions in February this year for assaults that took place between April 2022 and May 2025. Notably, six of these more recent offences occurred within the first five months of 2025, potentially overlapping with some of the alleged crimes in the current trial.
The prosecution suggests a disturbing pattern in the way Mr Levy encountered his victims – all were either sex workers or occasionally provided sexual services for money or drugs. This, the court was told, was no coincidence, but rather a deliberate tactic to evade detection and exploit vulnerabilities in women who were 'easy prey'. The alleged motive behind both murders is sexually motivated, with the prosecution asserting that while initial consent may have been given, it did not continue as such.
The surviving victim's harrowing account details her being allegedly trafficked into the UK before being subjected to a brutal attack by Mr Levy in January 2025. She was reportedly raped twice in a car park near his residence, left unconscious and for dead after being assaulted, raped and strangled. The court heard that Mr Levy jumped on her, breaking her collarbone, before raping her while covering her face and grabbing her throat. Notably, she later identified him in an identification parade.
Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo's body was found in a derelict building in Walworth, south London, on 17 March 2025. The prosecution stated that Mr Levy had visited the area the day before Ms Valencia-Trujillo went missing, an area where he previously lived. Mr Levy's DNA was reportedly discovered at the crime scene and on her body. Although the cause of death remains 'unascertained', a post-mortem revealed no natural disease contributing to her death, and she had a history of cocaine use.
Defending Mr Levy, Siobhan Grey challenged the credibility of the alleged rape victim, suggesting that she was not telling the truth about the attack. Ms Grey contended that the woman had known Mr Levy for years and that this familiarity rather than an assault was why she identified him in the line-up.