Reveller, 36, who thrust his hand down woman’s cycling shorts at Notting Hill Carnival a month after launching similar sex attack at Camden Reggae Rest event is jailed for three years

• Simon Levy, 36, carried out the almost identical attacks just four weeks apart 
• The first woman was assaulted at the Reggae Rest dance party on July 29, 2018
• The second was attacked at the Notting Hill Carnival on August 26, 2018
• Judge Christopher Hehir said Levy went to events ‘planning to touch women’
• Levy was found guilty of sexual assault and assault by penetration and was jailed

A reveller who thrust his hand down a woman’s cycling shorts at the Notting Hill Carnival a month after he carried out an almost identical attack has been jailed for three years.

Simon Levy, 36, sexually assaulted the woman at Europe’s largest street party in west London on August 26, 2018.

He also sexually assaulted another victim exactly four weeks earlier at the Reggae Rest dance party in Stables Market in Camden on July 29, 2018.

Levy, of Tottenham, north London, denied sexually assaulting the women and said he was merely dancing with them, but a jury convicted him of sexual assault and assault by penetration.

He was jailed for three years and placed on the sexual offences register.

Simon Levy, 36, sexually assaulted a woman at the Notting Hill Carnival a month after he carried out an almost identical attack (Pictured: a stock image of the Notting Hill Carnival, taken in 2019)

At the Reggae Rest dance party, the first victim was with her boyfriend when Levy ‘latched onto her’ and began ‘grinding’ against her while she was on her way back from the toilet, a court was told.

Under the guise of ‘dancing with her’, Levy then touched her under her clothing.

She immediately dropped to the floor to stop him, then turned, punched him in the shoulder and said ‘What the f*** man!’, jurors heard.

The woman said in her statement read to the court: ‘He literally just shoved his hand down my pants.

‘He had my hands, I managed to weasel my way out of it so I had my back to him.

‘I just remember his strength.

‘I just remember I couldn’t get out, he had me.

‘He let me go and laughed it off.

‘I don’t know how he managed to do that so quickly.

‘Something happened, he just switched, and I know he had me, and that’s when he was able to shove his hand down.

‘I don’t know what happened, it was all in a couple of seconds.’

Levy also assaulted a woman at the Reggae Rest dance party, which is held in Stables Market in Camden. (Pictured: a stock image of Stables Market taken in 2017)

At Notting Hill Carnival a month later, a court heard, Levy latched onto his victim while they travelled to the carnival in the same tube carriage.

He then carried out an almost identical attack on her, touching her intimately, jurors were told.

The woman managed to pull his hand away and escape to a local resident’s toilet, who ensured Levy left the area, jurors heard. 

Judge Christopher Hehir told Levy: ‘The women that you victimised sexually were complete strangers to you.

‘There was a degree of planning, mixed with opportunism, but planning nevertheless.’

Judge Hehir said he was ‘satisfied’ that Levy went to the open air music events planning to touch women if he got the opportunity to do so.

‘Women are perfectly entitled to go out and enjoy themselves in public without the fear of being touched,’ he added.

The victim at the Reggae Rest dance party was ‘clearly distressed and angry even three years on’, the judge said.

Shortly after the assault, her boyfriend found her curled up by Regent’s Canal sobbing, jurors were told.

During the trial, prosecutor Simon Sterling said both sexual assaults took place at public events.

‘There is no dispute that Mr Levy was in contact with these two women on that day’ he said.

‘The first incident was at Camden Stables Market. There was a sound system in the food court, the woman had spent the first hour or so dancing by herself.

‘She went to leave to go to the toilet.

‘Mr Levy appeared to be lingering, waiting for her. He asked her to go dance.

‘She was both laughing it off and saying no at the same time, she was having to be polite and not offering any encouragement.

The two almost identical attacks happened exactly four weeks apart and just four miles away from each other

‘He was behind her when he quickly thrust his hands down the tracksuit trousers she was wearing.

‘As soon as that happened she bent her knees to get him off.

‘She confronted him, he seemed to just laugh at her. She punched him in the shoulder and said: “What the f*** man!”

‘At Notting Hill Carnival, he grabbed the woman and tried to get her to dance with him.

‘It was by the Latin Music stage that the assault took place.

‘As she was leaving, he grabbed her from behind, he shoved his hands down her cycling shorts.

‘This caused her to try to pull his arm out, but she broke two of her acrylic nails off doing so.

‘This turn of events was so surprising to her she froze in shock.’

Levy has a previous conviction from 2012 for handling stolen goods but no previous offences of a sexual nature, the court was told.

A psychological report found him to suffer from a developmental disorder and a lack of maturity.

But the judge added: ‘Whatever issues you have with communication and reading verbal and non-verbal cues, you are well aware of what consent is.’  

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