Met chief accepts mistakes made over Simon Levy but defends investigation into murders
Critics - including Labour MP Jess Phillips - have accused the Met of overlooking the first murder carried out by Levy.
Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has defended the force's investigation into double murderer Simon Levy, who killed three women and violently raped another. Sir Mark acknowledged mistakes in the handling of Levy, but denied suggestions the police had not tried to build a case around his first murder. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is examining how Levy, a convicted sex offender, was managed from 2021 to his final arrest in 2025.
Sir Mark said the Met did not seek a charging decision on the first murder until after the second victim was killed, adding that the pathologist could not determine a cause of death in the first case. The Met also faced criticism for downgrading Levy's risk level in 2024, allowing him to be monitored less closely.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.