Double killer's earlier victim says his second attack turned her life into a waking nightmare

A woman who was brutally attacked by a

A woman who was brutally attacked by a man who later became a double murderer has spoken of the moment her worst fears became reality, when police failures allowed him to strike again.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was assaulted by Simon Levy in 2017, years before he went on to kill two women and rape a third. She told an inquiry that her ordeal was compounded by the knowledge that authorities had the chance to stop him, but their repeated errors meant he remained at large.

Speaking in a victim impact statement, she described how her initial assault left her traumatized, but the horror deepened when she learned Levy had been freed to offend again. “I thought the hardest part was over, but then I found out he was out there, and my nightmare turned into real life,” she said.

The woman's testimony comes as part of a

The woman's testimony comes as part of a review into the handling of Levy's case, which has exposed a string of missed warnings, botched investigations, and ignored red flags. Despite multiple complaints and evidence of his escalating behavior, Levy was never properly monitored, allowing him to slip through the cracks.

Levy, already a convicted sex offender at the time of the 2017 assault, was arrested but released without charge due to failures in evidence gathering. Less than two years later, he murdered his first victim, then a second, before raping a third woman in a brutal series of attacks that shocked the community.

The inquiry heard that the earlier victim had begged police to take her case seriously, warning that Levy posed a clear danger. Her pleas were dismissed, and she says she now lives with the guilt of wondering if more could have been done to prevent the later tragedies.

In her statement, she called for fundamental changes

In her statement, she called for fundamental changes to how the justice system handles repeat offenders, insisting that “every ignored warning is a potential death sentence for someone else.” She added that while no apology can undo the harm, she hopes her testimony will force accountability and prevent future failures.