A man identified as Simon Levy exploited a stolen bus driver’s travelcard, allowing him to move freely across London’s transport network and commit a series of violent crimes, including murder and sexual assaults. Despite multiple arrests between November 2024 and June of the following year, the travelcard was repeatedly returned to Levy, enabling his continued offending. This disclosure comes after Levy, 40, was found guilty of murdering two women and sexually assaulting ten others.

The Facilitation of Crime Through a Returned Travelcard

Levy, who was unemployed, utilized the stolen Oyster card to access London’s extensive public transportation system without charge and under the guise of another individual’s identity. He was in possession of the card during four separate arrests as his criminal activity escalated. However, on each occasion, the card was not confiscated by authorities. A spokesperson for British Transport Police acknowledged that officers failed to recognize the card as stolen, despite it bearing the clear inscription: “Bus Operator issued subject to conditions.”

Former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector David McKelvey commented on the implications, stating that if the police returned the card to Levy after it had been seized, they effectively enabled his subsequent crimes. The full extent of Levy’s actions could only be reported after his conviction for the murder of Sheryl Wilkins, 39, and Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in separate incidents last year. He had previously been found guilty of ten counts of sexual assault on women aged between 18 and 32 on the London Underground during a trial earlier this year at Inner London Crown Court. Levy was sentenced to six years imprisonment, with an additional three years to be served on license.

A Pattern of Predatory Behavior on Public Transport

During the trial, it was revealed how Levy brazenly targeted women on crowded trains, often concealing his hands with a poncho, trench coat, or a sweater tied around his waist. His first recorded attack occurred on the Jubilee Line in October 2023. However, the majority of his offenses took place after he acquired the staff travelcard belonging to bus driver Phillip Clarke. Clarke had lost the card at the Notting Hill Carnival on August 26, 2024. Although Clarke reported the loss to his manager and Transport for London, the card was not deactivated.

Two months later, on October 21, Levy attacked a woman on the Central Line at Stratford station. The prosecutor detailed how Levy squeezed her bottom, and when she moved away and expressed fear, he moved closer and pushed his body against her. Just seven days later, Levy groped another woman on the Central Line. She managed to film him as he backed into her, forcefully grabbed her crotch, and then fled the train at Liverpool Street station.

Repeated Arrests, Repeated Failures to Seize Evidence

Levy was first arrested by British Transport Police on November 4, 2024, in connection with the two earlier attacks. Despite being bailed for these offenses, he was allowed to retain the stolen Oyster card. His subsequent arrest occurred on April 1 of the following year on suspicion of the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, which had taken place 16 days prior. Had the card been properly examined at that time, it would have revealed Levy’s travel to Elephant and Castle tube station, located near where Ms. Valencia-Trujillo was murdered, on the afternoon of her killing. Nevertheless, he was released, and crucially, was again permitted to keep the travelcard, which he continued to use for further assaults.

In the days following his release, Levy targeted five more women on crowded trains. On April 7, he groped a woman on the Victoria Line, prompting her to shout, “What are you doing?” and “Don’t touch me.” The victim, who was left feeling violated and distressed, disembarked at the next stop in tears. Two days later, Levy assaulted a photographer who managed to take his picture. He then brazenly targeted his seventh victim on a packed overland train, in front of her mother, while en route to a boxing match.

On May 1, Levy violently groped the buttocks of a student on the Tube. The victim described the assault as a “grab and a pull” that caused significant pain. She recounted her distress and hysteria to her mother immediately after the incident. Levy was arrested for a third time later that same day. He was subsequently charged with five Tube attacks and remanded into custody. During police questioning on May 2, Levy, who identified himself as partially blind, suggested that accidental contact might occur if he was trying to navigate.

Continued Freedom and Final Arrest

Despite the charges, Levy was released on conditional bail the following day by magistrates at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, as the prosecution did not oppose the bail application. Astonishingly, the police still failed to seize the Oyster card, allowing Levy to use it for at least one more attack. On June 16, a woman on the Jubilee Line heading towards Bond Street experienced Levy shoving his hand into her crotch. Initially mistaking the action for an attempt at pickpocketing, she soon realized the predatory nature of the assault. She described Levy as “excitable, agitated, jittery and acting a bit odd.” When the assault continued, she fought back, shouting “pervert” and dousing him with a can of Coca-Cola as he fled.

Levy was arrested for the fourth time on June 20. However, even at this stage, the travelcard was not seized. He was charged with eight sexual offenses on the Tube and one count of breaching his bail conditions by traveling on the network. In a further controversial decision, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court released him again, this time after the prosecutor requested he be remanded. Despite his history of bail breaches, he was permitted to continue using the London Underground, albeit with a ban during rush hour. The series of transport-related sexual offenses ceased after the travelcard’s last recorded use on June 16. It was finally confiscated by homicide detectives when Levy was arrested for the murder of Sheryl Wilkins in September last year.

Apologies and Systemic Failures

Records indicate that Levy had a prior history of sexual offenses, including being convicted in 2021 for groping ten women on the Tube and sexually assaulting a prison officer while serving a sentence for two earlier sex attacks. Detective Superintendent Peter Fulton of British Transport Police apologized for the protracted timeline in bringing Levy to justice, stating that the process “should have been done much quicker and much more efficiently.” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth of the Metropolitan Police offered apologies to the victims and acknowledged a “collective system failure” had occurred, emphasizing that “there’s absolutely significant learning for all parties in this case.”