Three people convicted of violent homophobic murder in Cardiff park
Dr Gary Jenkins died of his injuries two weeks after the attack
Last updated 3rd Feb 2022
Three people aged between 17 and 36 have been convicted of the homophobic murder of a man in a Cardiff park.
Jason Edwards, 25, Lee Strickland, 36 and Dionne Timms-Williams, 17 pleaded guilty of the murder of Dr Gary Jenkins, a 54-year-old consultant psychiatrist.
The attack took place in the early hours of July 20th, 2021 when Timms-Williams - aged 16 at the time - met Edwards and Strickland near Bute Park, "in search of vulnerable gay men who were in the park for sex" to rob.
Prosecuting, Dafydd Enoch QC said in the trial that what happened had been "motivated by greed, homophobia and straight-up violence".
During the eight-day-trial at Merthyr Crown Court in South Wales, the court heard how all three defendants had gone to a local petrol station to buy more alcohol before the attack took place.
All three aggressors then found Dr Jenkins and another man - Louis Williams - in Bute Park and began to attack both men, before focusing on the 54-year-old father-of-two.
Throughout the trial, the court heard graphic evidence, including a disturbing audio recording from CCTV footage at the time of the attack.
In the CCTV footage, Dr Jenkins can repeatedly be heard begging for his life, asking "Why?" and "Leave me alone", before his moans of pain became quieter.
However, the three defendants continued to assault Dr Jenkins, with homophobic slurs being thrown at the victim. Other times Timms-Williams can be heard calling for Edwards and Strickland to "hit him again".
Mr Williams tried to intervene on several occasions throughout the attack, including lying on top of the victim to prevent being hit.
Describing the attack, Mr Williams said that the three attackers were laughing and shouting homophobic slurs with every kick they dealt.
Once Dr Jenkins was unconscious, Timms-Williams could be heard saying: "Yeah, I needed that". The three defendants then left the park with Dr Jenkins' debit card and bought more alcohol.
Dr Jenkins was taken to the University Hospital of Wales to be treated for his injuries but subsequently died 16 days later on August 5th.
Following the trial, Edwards, Strickland and Timms-Williams admitted to charges of manslaughter and robbery.
However, Timms-Williams denied being homophobic in a pre-written statement, saying that she had been in a same-sex relationship previously.
All three defendants are to be sentenced by Judge Daniel Williams for their parts in the man's death at a later date.
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