Serial predator Simon Levy has joined a list of Britain's most dangerous prisoners sentenced to spend the rest of their lives behind bars. Levy was convicted of murdering two women and raping a third, with his crimes described as a brutal exploitation of his victims for sexual gratification. A judge handed him a life term, a penalty reserved for the most serious offenses.

Levy's sentence places him among notorious figures such as Rose West, Lee Rigby's killer Michael Adebolajo, and Mark Bridger, who murdered April Jones in 2012. The UK government announced in December an expansion of whole life orders, following the murder of prison officer Lenny Scott in 2024. Then-Justice Secretary David Lammy stated that sentences would be extended to include revenge killings against police and prison officers.

Notorious Offenders Serving Whole Life Orders

Rose West, currently 72 and an inmate at New Hall Prison, was sentenced to ten life terms and a whole life order for the torture and murder of at least ten young women between 1973 and 1983. She also murdered her stepdaughter, Charmaine, in 1971 with her husband, Fred West, who died by suicide in 1995.

Michael Adebolajo was one of two Islamist terrorists responsible for the 2013 murder of British Army soldier Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, southeast London. Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale ran Rigby down with a car before stabbing and attempting to behead him. The pair claimed the murder was in retaliation for the killing of Muslims by the British military. Adebolajo received a whole life order, while Adebowale was ordered to serve a minimum of 45 years.

Jamie Varley, described as an 'arrogant, self-centred liar,' was found guilty of the murder, sexual assault, and cruelty towards 13-month-old Preston Davey, whom he and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley had adopted. The baby died within five months of adoption due to a campaign of sexual abuse.

Levi Bellfield, a serial killer, was found guilty in 2008 of the murders of Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy. In 2011, he was convicted of the 2002 murder of Milly Dowler. Bellfield is serving a whole life order in HMP Frankland.

Wayne Couzens, an off-duty Metropolitan Police constable, kidnapped, raped, and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021. He drove Ms. Everard to Kent, where he strangled her before disposing of her body. Couzens pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. His crime sparked widespread debate about women's safety in the UK.

Ali Harbi Ali, an Islamic State sympathizer, received a whole life sentence for the October 2021 murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess. Ali fatally stabbed Sir David at his constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Motives cited included Sir David's voting record on UK airstrikes in Syria and his membership in Conservative Friends of Israel. Ali was convicted of murder and preparation of terrorist acts in April 2022.

David Fuller, a necrophiliac morgue worker, abused the bodies of over 100 women and girls between 2005 and 2020. He was already serving a whole life sentence for the 1987 murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce when his additional crimes were uncovered. An independent inquiry was launched in 2021 to investigate how Fuller committed these crimes undetected.

Stephen Port, a serial killer and rapist, was convicted of the murders of four young men and multiple rapes and sexual assaults. He used a date-rape drug to incapacitate his victims before assaulting and murdering them in his Barking flat.

Mark Fellows, known as 'The Iceman,' was convicted as a hitman for the murders of John Kinsella and Paul Massey, both killed during a gang war. He received a whole-life order for these offenses.

Mark Bridger murdered five-year-old April Jones in October 2012 after abducting her near her home in Machynlleth, Wales. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order in May 2013. A judge described Bridger as a 'pathological and glib liar' and 'a paedophile'.

Kyle Clifford received a whole life sentence for the March murders of his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt, her sister, and their mother. Clifford, described as holding women in 'utter contempt,' committed the murders in their Bushey, Hertfordshire home after his ex-girlfriend ended their relationship.

Joanna Dennehy killed three male victims in Cambridgeshire in March 2013, an incident known as the Peterborough ditch murders. She also stabbed and attempted to kill two dog walkers in Hereford. Dennehy specifically targeted men, stating she did not wish to kill women.

David Taylor was sentenced to a Whole Life Order following murders and an attempted murder of a detective. He killed Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin in 2022 and murdered Kyle Bevan in HMP Wakefield in November 2025 alongside two other inmates.

Khairi Saadallah, a Reading terror attacker, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder for his June 2020 attack on the public. Born in Libya, he was granted asylum in the UK in 2018. He had multiple convictions for violent crimes, knife possession, and racially or religiously aggravated harassment.

Louis De Zoysa shot and killed New Zealand-born police sergeant Matiu Ratana in September 2020 while handcuffed in police custody. De Zoysa had previously been referred to the Prevent program. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order.

Sharaz Ali received a whole life order for murdering his ex-girlfriend's sister, Bryonie Gawith, and her three children, Destiny, Oscar, and Aubree Birtle, by setting their Bradford house on fire in August 2024. The fire was a revenge attack.

Damien Bendall was sentenced to a whole-life prison term in December 2022 after pleading guilty to the murders of his partner Terri Harris, her two children Lacey and John-Paul Bennett, and Lacey's friend Connie Gent. The attacks occurred in September 2021. Bendall was also charged with the rape of a girl under 13.

Thomas Mair, described as an extremist 'loner,' murdered Labour MP Jo Cox in a politically motivated attack in 2016. He shot and stabbed Mrs. Cox outside her car, shouting, 'Britain first, this is for Britain.'

Lee Newell was convicted of three murders: his neighbor in 1988, a fellow inmate in 2013, and another inmate in 2026. In 1988, he strangled Mary Neal during a robbery. In 2013, he strangled inmate Subhan Anwar. In 2025, he killed inmate Kyle Bevan with the assistance of Mark Fellows and David Taylor.

Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse, was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. She is serving 15 whole-life prison terms, making her one of the most prolific child serial killers in modern British history. Letby was convicted of injecting air into infants' bloodstreams and poisoning them with insulin. Some medical experts and journalists have questioned the evidence used in her trial.