Police chief Sir Mark Rowley blames Prison Service for releasing Simon Levy even though he had sexually assaulted staff member behind bars

Britain's top police officer Sir Mark Rowley has blamed the Prison Service for releasing serial sex attacker and murderer Simon Levy after he assaulted one of its staff members in jail.Levy was questioned by police about the sexual assault five months after his release, which Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark today described as 'too slow'. Levy, 40, was found guilty last Friday of murdering two women and almost killing a third while on police bail.And yesterday he was given a whole life prison sentence, meaning he should never be freed.Levy suffocated Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in March 2025, before using the same method to kill Sheryl Wilkins, 39, five months later.He was also found guilty of violently raping another woman in January last year, leaving her for dead. Detectives believe Levy might have claimed scores of victims while on bail, carrying out daily attacks for years – escalating from groping women on the London Underground to rape, suffocation and eventually murder.After last week's verdicts, the police watchdog revealed it was investigating 'alleged failures of Met Police officers in their management' of the killer. Simon Levy, pictured in the latest available police custody photo, murdered two women and attempted to kill a third while on bail Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has criticised the Prison Service for allowing Simon Levy to be released despite sexually assaulting a jail worker Levy had a record for sexual violence dating back to 2018, yet was released on bail four times in a series of failures.After his conviction, the police watchdog announced two police officers were being investigated for misconduct. Sir Mark today told the BBC's Today programme: 'That's one of the things we've apologised for, but of course there are two mistakes in that.'You've got he was released on licence by the Prison Service, having sexually assaulted in prison one of its people - I don't understand that decision either. 'I'm prepared to come here and be accountable - we've got two officers being, we've referred to be investigated by the Independent Office of Police Complaints.'We take our accountability seriously. The rest of the system is not doing that. The Prison Service should not have released somebody who's indecently assaulting its staff.'The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment in response. An Independent Office for Police Conduct spokesman said last Friday it had opened an inquiry into 'alleged failures' by two officers following Levy's prison release on licence in February 2023. The body of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo was found face down in a stairwell of a disused block of flats in Southwark, south-east LondonLevy later murdered Sheryl Wilkins, smothering his victim before leaving her body in a car park just minutes from his home in Tottenham, north LondonThe IOPC said: 'We are investigating the management of Simon Levy from his first conviction in September 2021 up to his arrest in September 2025. 'We are examining whether action could or should have been taken to prevent his reoffending, and if all officers involved in his management followed policies, procedures, and training.'We are also assessing whether any learning, whether individual, force-wide, or nationally or other changes should be implemented in light of the events under investigation.'At this stage, we have served a gross misconduct notice on a police constable and a misconduct notice on a detective sergeant, which means that the actions of those officers are under investigation.'The serving of conduct notices does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.'A victim who was attacked by double murderer Simon Levy yesterday said the police turned her nightmare into 'real life' by letting him go on to kill and attack more women.Laura felt she was trying to protect other women by reporting the man described by police as a 'predatory monster' when she reported him in 2018.She had encountered Levy on the London Underground when she was travelling to the Notting Hill Carnival in west London. A photo released by British Transport Police, taken of Levy during one of his Tube assaults Despite repeated attacks, Levy was free to roam the streets - and went on to kill two women. Pictured, Levy at Westminster station in central LondonHe followed Laura and her friend to the carnival before subjecting her to a serious sexual assault.When she tried to report the crime eight years ago, she was turned away by Met officers who said they were 'busy with more urgent things'.Laura, whose surname is not being used, said she felt betrayed by police after Levy went on to carry out his murders and further attacks. Levy was already a registered sex offender because he sexually assaulted Laura and a separate victim in the summer of 2018.Laura said she would often 'think about, dream about, have nightmares about what was actually happening - he was actually still out preying on vulnerable women'.Waiving her anonymity to speak to the BBC, she believed she was trying to protect other women by ensuring that her attacker was jailed. She described Levy as 'evil' and said she was devastated for his other victims and their families.Laura said she feels let down by the entire criminal justice system, including the Met Police, the British Transport Police, the courts and judges who bailed Levy, as well as the Crown Prosecution Service. Laura was sexually assaulted by Simon Levy in 2021 after he targeted her on the London UndergroundShe said: 'They're all as guilty for allowing him to continue to do what he was doing.'They could have prevented so many women from being hurt, they could have prevented two women from losing their lives.'After her attack in 2018, Laura said she forced Levy off and became hysterical and started crying.Laura, alongside her friend, tried to escape Levy but he continued to follow them.Eventually, a group of men was able to chase him off after she told them what happened.Laura said she was turned away by police officers when she attempted to report him.After two officers told her they were 'busy', a third female officer took her details, but Laura said the officer did not make sure she was safe and did not look for Levy that day, despite the two women having handed them a photograph of him.Laura was finally contacted by the police 15 days later to give a statement. It took a further three years before Levy was hauled to court. Levy has now been convicted of carrying out two murders, two rapes, a near-fatal suffocation and 13 sexual assaults Police believe that Simon Levy, 40, could have been carrying out daily attacks for yearsIn 2021, he was finally convicted of sexually assaulting Laura and a separate victim.Levy was arrested in November 2024 for two sex attacks on the Tube, but a blundering BTP officer delayed doing basic ID checks for weeks, opting instead to extend his bail on January 21, 2025.Emboldened, that night Levy committed his first rape.In a brutal attack, he jumped on a prostitute, breaking her collar bone before raping her while suffocating her with one hand squeezing her neck and another covering her face with a finger down her throat, leaving her near death.On March 17, Levy struck again using the same tactic – and the body of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo was found face down in a stairwell of a disused block of flats in Southwark, south-east London.Her neck had been compressed, her face smothered and a pipe smeared with his blood was found beside her.Four days before he was arrested on April 1 over the murder, Levy was still telling police visiting his home as part of routine convicted sex offender checks that he never went out.The causes of Ms Valencia-Trujillo's death were deemed to be 'unascertained' in a post-mortem and Scotland Yard decided once again to release Levy on bail. 'ZERO JEOPARDY' A sex offender who should have been remanded in custody was recently bailed to an address two doors down from his victim, the Metropolitan Police commissioner has said as he criticised other agencies' routine failures that enabled double-murderer Simon Levy's offending. Sir Mark Rowley told the BBC's Today programme: 'My officers are routinely, they've got cases of prolific knife carriers charged again and again with carrying knives, sometimes using them, 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.' Nothing happens when offenders are arrested for breaching their electronic tags 'so it becomes a pointless endeavour' if it is 'zero jeopardy', he added.Sir Mark said: '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.' When he was arrested on April 1 2025, BTP officers decided to do a further risk assessment – extending his bail another month to May 1, instead of arresting him for further offences on April 3.While police waited for the risk assessment, Levy carried on offending and carried out four further attacks on the underground before he answered bail.He was charged with five sex assaults on the Tube on May 2 and remanded in custody overnight.Levy was then once again released on bail by magistrates, even though he was suspected of murder.Levy failed to show up at court when he was charged with a sixth sex assault charge on June 3, but officers failed to issue a warrant.Three weeks later, he was spotted on the underground by a BTP officer and charged with breaching his bail condition by going on the Tube, failing to appear at court and committing two sex attacks at Charing Cross and Westminster stations.But when then appearing at court, Levy was again granted bail.He failed to attend further hearings on July 18 and August 11, yet no warrant was sought for his arrest.On August 28, Levy carried out his second murder when he smothered Sheryl Wilkins, leaving her body in the same location as the earlier rape attack, just minutes from his own home in Tottenham, north London, where he lived with his mother.Police arrested him on September 5 after he was identified at the scene on a facial recognition camera and he was remanded in custody three days later.In February this year, Levy was convicted of carrying out 11 sexual assaults between April 2022 and May 2025 in a prosecution which was kept secret for fear of prejudicing his subsequent murder trial, which ended last week.A Met spokesman said: 'We are sorry the victim felt unsupported in this case and don't under-estimate the impact this incident had on her.'A crime report was created the following day with a wide range of enquiries carried out. Levy was identified, arrested and later convicted.'