Man charged with two murders misses court hearing

Simon Levy is charged with the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo

A man accused of murdering two women on separate occasions in London has failed to appear at a court hearing.

Simon Levy, 40, was charged with Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 54, who was found in south London on 17 March. He was in custody at the time, having previously been charged with murdering Sheryl Wilkins, 39, in Tottenham, who was found dead in August.

Mr Levy was due at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to be formally charged over Ms Valencia-Trujillo's death, but he did not appear either in person or via video link from prison.

The hearing proceeded in his absence and the case was sent to the Old Bailey for a hearing on Wednesday.

Simon Levy previously appeared in court charged with the murder of Sheryl Wilkins

Ms Valencia-Trujillo, who was from Colombia, was found dead in the stairwell of a building on the Aylesbury Estate in Walworth.

A cause of death could not be established, the Metropolitan Police said.

Mr Levy, of Beaufoy Road, Tottenham, was later arrested in connection with her death and bailed pending further inquiries.

The Met charged him with Ms Valencia-Trujillo's murder on 20 November as part of a wider investigation.

Mr Levy was charged with Ms Wilkins' murder on 7 September.

While in custody, he was also arrested in relation to a separate incident in January and later charged with two counts of rape, grievous bodily harm, and intentional non-fatal suffocation.

All three incidents are being handled as part of a single, joined investigation, according to the Met.

A trial date has been set for June 2026 at the Old Bailey.