A serial sex offender who was already on the radar of the Metropolitan Police has been found guilty of double murder and rape, in a case that has raised serious questions about how dangerous offenders are monitored in England.
Simon Levy was convicted of killing two victims and carrying out a rape, in crimes that have shocked investigators and the public alike. The fact that Levy was already known to police and under some form of monitoring at the time makes the case all the more disturbing.
The Metropolitan Police had Levy on their books as a sex offender, meaning he was subject to the kind of oversight that is supposed to prevent exactly this kind of escalation. Yet despite that, he went on to commit some of the most serious crimes on the statute book, leaving two families without their loved ones and at least one survivor dealing with the trauma of rape.
The case will inevitably put pressure on the Met and the wider criminal justice system to answer hard questions. How does a monitored sex offender manage to carry out a double murder? What does supervision of dangerous individuals actually look like in practice? And are the resources there to do the job properly?
London has seen repeated controversies in recent years over how the Met handles known offenders and individuals who pose a risk to the public. The conviction of Levy adds another deeply uncomfortable chapter to that story.
Sentencing is expected to follow the verdict, with Levy facing a lengthy prison term given the severity of the crimes he has been found guilty of. For the families of the two murder victims, the verdict will bring some form of justice, though nothing can undo the loss they have suffered.
Authorities have not yet made a full public statement on how Levy managed to offend so seriously while supposedly under supervision, but calls for a review of his case and the procedures surrounding it are likely to grow louder in the coming days.
Lock him up and throw away the key. Absolute monster. I genuinely don’t understand how people like this exist, it’s beyond comprehension. My heart goes out to the victims families, they deserve proper justice and I hope he never sees daylight again.