Director of Public Prosecutions says he's 'deeply sorry' for failings which left Simon Levy free to rape and kill

By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR Published: 18:52, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 18:52, 13 August 2026 The head of the Crown Prosecution Service finally apologised today for failing to put predator Simon Levy behind bars leaving him free on bail to kill two women and rape a third. Stephen Parkinson said he was ‘deeply sorry’ after the 40-year-old was repeatedly bailed by police and the courts despite being accused of multiple sex attacks. In a string of blunders, prosecutors failed to inform the courts that the convicted sex offender was being investigated for the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and had a history of preying on women, resulting in him being released from custody to kill again despite being charged with a raft of sex offences on the Tube. Prosecutors failed to oppose bail even though detectives had warned them: ‘He's considered by police to be a danger to the public and at high risk of reoffending. Police have significant concerns that if granted bail, Levy will continue in his perpetual offending against female members of the public.’ Last year while he was out on bail, Levy murdered Ms Valencia-Trujillo, 53, before killing Sheryl Wilkins, 39, months later. He also nearly killed a third woman, suffocating her during a brutal rape and he carried out six further sex attacks on the London Underground. Police now believe he could have been carrying out daily attacks for years, escalating from groping women on the London Underground to rape, suffocation and eventually murder. Amid mounting anger at how police and prosecutors missed a monster in their midst, a blame game erupted today as Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley lashed out saying: ‘There’s no one from the court service, no one from CPS, no one from probation stepping forward and talking about their failures.’ Simon Levy, 40, was given a whole life sentence this week for murdering two women and raping a third Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, was murdered by Levy in March 2025 Five months later he murdered 39-year-old Sheryl Wilkins. Levy had been downgraded by the Metropolitan Police as a risk to women prior to the murders Sir Mark told the BBC’s Today programme: ‘The reason we’re really worried and concerned by what’s going on is we’re the ones who see victims day in and day out … we had a case the other day of a sex offender who should have been remanded in custody bailed to an address two doors down from his victim. ‘These things are happening routinely and it really worries us because we’re close to those victims.’ He said his officers regularly handle cases of ‘prolific knife offenders’ who are repeatedly charged with carrying the weapons, and sometimes using them, but they are being bailed back onto the streets. ‘It’s harder and harder to get these cases through the courts. We’ve got cases in London, assaulting emergency worker cases, domestic violence triangulation cases, being listed for 2029, 2030 – those risks are carried in the community’, Sir Mark added. But the Director of Public Prosecutions hit back saying different parts of the justice system should stop ‘taking shots at each other’. Mr Parkinson said: ‘I don’t think that different parts of the system should be taking shots at each other. ‘I don’t think that’s good for public confidence.’ He went on: ‘I think the Metropolitan Police Commissioner is absolutely right to recognise that there have been failures across the criminal justice system, and we are responsible for part of that, so I do want to acknowledge our failures and apologise. ‘I’m deeply sorry. I think I would like to add though, that this is a failure which was rare. Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson hit back saying different parts of the justice system should stop ‘taking shots at each other’ ‘It is an exceptional but tragic and appalling instance where something did go wrong. But I wouldn’t want people to lose faith in the criminal justice system.’ After Levy’s conviction last week, the police watchdog announced two police officers were being investigated for misconduct. But Mr Parkinson refused to say how many Crown Prosecution Service staff have faced disciplinary action. British Transport Police, which also repeatedly bailed Levy despite him being accused of multiple sex offences, has refused to refer themselves to the watchdog. Levy is now serving a whole life sentence for the rape and two murders. He has also been convicted of 13 sexual assaults between 2018 and 2025. Sir Mark believes the Prison Service is also culpable after Levy was released from prison on licence in February 2023 despite sexually assaulting a guard while behind bars for two sex attacks. The Met Commissioner said: ‘The Prison Service should not have released somebody who’s indecently assaulting its staff.’ Sir Mark also criticised the Probation Service for failing to monitor the partially blind offender while he ventured on the tube for prey, sexually assaulting women at peak times when he knew carriages would be packed. Levy’s chilling fascination with rape and murder went unnoticed by probation and police who were supposed to be monitoring the registered sex offender, yet he managed to secretly amass a huge collection of newspaper stories about notorious offenders he lionised like black cab rapist John Worboys, paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein. Today, Sir Mark warned other dangerous offenders are slipping through the net. He said nothing happens when offenders are arrested for breaching their electronic tags ‘so it becomes a pointless endeavour’ if it is ‘zero jeopardy’. There are currently 10,800 registered sex offenders in London and the number grows by 100 every three months. Mr Parkinson added: ‘I understand why this shocking case has caused such deep concern. It has shaken confidence in the way the criminal justice system protects women and girls, and I recognise the pain and anger that will be felt by victims, families and the wider public. ‘The criminal justice system failed to stop Simon Levy. And although we recognise it is under significant pressure, it cannot be allowed to fail again. ‘No single agency can fix that alone: the public rightly expects police, prosecutors and courts to work together, share information properly, identify risk quickly and act decisively when women and girls may be in danger. ‘The public do not want to see different parts of the system blaming each other. I want victims to know that we have listened, that we are making changes, and that we will keep working to improve the way these cases are handled.’