Metropolitan Police Failures Allowed Simon Levy to Murder Sheryl Wilkins, Senior Officer Confirms
A senior Metropolitan Police officer has conceded that critical errors in monitoring convicted sex offender Simon Levy directly contributed to the murder of Sheryl Wilkins and multiple sexual assaults on other women. Levy, who was found guilty of the double murder, rape, and sexual assault of four women, was at liberty for eight months despite being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that should have triggered immediate recall to prison.
Levy's first murder victim, Jacquetta Highton, was killed in 2022. Subsequently, Levy murdered Sheryl Wilkins, a nurse, and raped and sexually assaulted four other women over a period spanning October 2022 to May 2023. These victims encountered Levy after his release from prison, where he had served a sentence for sexual assault.
The Metropolitan Police's failure to react to multiple breaches of Levy's SHPO meant opportunities to apprehend him were missed. His order included a curfew and conditions preventing him from having contact with women without police notification. Despite documented breaches, including the presence of women at his home, no action was taken by officers. The police acknowledged that these failings meant Ms. Wilkins' life could have been saved.
This case highlights persistent systemic issues within police forces regarding the rigorous enforcement of SHPOs, allowing convicted offenders to re-offend with devastating consequences. The official investigation into these failures is ongoing, with scrutiny centring on why such blatant non-compliance went unaddressed for so long.
