Sexual predator who raped woman went on to kill twice after police closed investigation, court told

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Convicted sexual predator Simon Levy, 40, is accused of carrying out a violent sexual attack on a trafficked sex worker in January last year in which her collarbone was broken.

He allegedly went on to murder Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in March last year and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, in August last year.

The alleged rape occurred in the same car park in Tottenham, north London, where Ms Wilkins was later found dead, the Old Bailey has heard.

Four days later the woman told police she had been raped, but was not well enough to be interviewed at the time because she was withdrawing from drugs, the court has heard.

The homeless woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had a crack cocaine and heroin addiction at the time that cost £150 per day.

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Jurors viewed police body-worn video of the woman begging to be taken to hospital when she was arrested for breaching a community protection notice on January 25 last year.

During the conversation in the street, the injured woman told officers she had been strangled, knocked out and sexually assaulted.

On June 8 last year, the case was closed after police failed to interview the woman about what happened.

On Friday, Detective Sergeant Nina Muchamore, who is attached to a unit covering serious sexual offences, described the sequence of events which led to the decision.

On January 25 last year, she said she was made aware of a rape allegation by a sex worker who had been arrested for an unrelated matter and taken to hospital with an injury to her collarbone.

The woman had told uniformed colleagues that the sexual assault happened in the B&M car park in Tottenham, north London, and the suspect lived in White Hart Lane, the court heard.

Initially, the woman had said the incident happened the night before, saying it was on the Tuesday evening, jurors heard.

Det Sgt Muchamore told jurors that she was not clear about exactly when the alleged rape had happened.

When the woman returned to Wood Green Police Station, another officer went to speak with her, but she was not able to give more information as she was withdrawing from heroin addiction and was unfit.

Prosecutor Kerry Broome asked: “What did you decide could be done?”

The officer replied: “Very little. There was not much of an investigation in terms of what happened with that rape.”

She went on to explain that understanding when it happened impacted on what CCTV or forensic evidence could be gathered.

She added: “We did very little apart from see what CCTV was in the B&M car park. We knew there was not much coverage.

“To give you a bit of understanding, we managed about 150 rape investigations so in order to prioritise we would need more to know exactly what we are looking for.”

On January 26 last year, Det Sgt Muchamore visited the woman in her cell and found she had vomited on the floor and requested she be moved.

Once she was settled, the officer said she found her to be “very listless”, “tired” and very unwell.

She told jurors: “I did ask her questions. She repeatedly told me she felt sick and gave no further context.”

The court heard she could barely lift her head from the mattress and was not deemed fit to consent for the recovery of forensic evidence.

After the woman appeared in court on the unrelated matter, she was released; there was no way of tracking her because she had no home address, the jury was told.

The police team contacted social services to try to arrange a meeting with her, but were unsuccessful, the court was told.

On May 16 last year, a colleague became aware the woman had been arrested again and was being held at Colindale police station.

Due to late notification, she was released before the team could speak to her about the rape allegation and a letter was passed on for her to contact them.

Then on May 28, when the team was on a rest day, the woman was spoken to by an officer from another team, and she declined to give more information, the court heard.

On June 8 last year, the investigation was closed.

Ms Broome asked: “Did you take the view you had made all the efforts you could?”

The officer replied: “It was felt we had made significant attempts to try to speak to (the woman) and at that time we felt it was not the right time for her to support an investigation.”

Sergeant Gemma Claydon told jurors how she spoke to the woman in early September after members of her uniformed team found Ms Wilkins’ body.

After being told there had been a murder in B&M car park and a man had been arrested, the woman allegedly responded: “I knew it. He strangled me. He lived off White Hart Lane.”

Sgt Claydon said: “I didn’t know much about the rape allegation at all other than the murder team believed they were connected.”

Quizzed on why she did not record the conversation on her video camera, she said: “Sex workers don’t trust police officers who put body-worn in their faces.”

The woman went on to make a statement on video and was placed in supported accommodation.

Levy, of Beaufoy Road, Tottenham, north London, has pleaded not guilty to the two women’s murders.

He has further denied two charges of rape, grievous bodily harm with intent, and non-fatal suffocation against the surviving woman.

The prosecution told the court on Monday that Levy has previous convictions for sexual assault.

Jurors heard he was convicted of two sexual assaults committed in 2018, and more recently of 11 counts of sexual assault after a trial in February this year.

The Old Bailey trial continues.