The Independent
·Aug 2026
Sex offenders released on bail ‘day in, day out’ claims police chief in wake of Levy failings
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley criticized the courts and Crown Prosecution Service for repeatedly granting bail to serial sex offender Simon Levy, who was later sentenced to a whole-life order for murder and rape. Rowley acknowledged that the Met had also failed and had apologized, but argued that the criminal justice system was placing dangerous offenders back into communities while expecting police to monitor them. Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman called the case a devastating example of systemic failure and warned that similar failures could recur amid unprecedented pressure on the justice system.