Two men and a teenage girl have been jailed for the murder of psychiatrist Dr Gary Jenkins in a Cardiff park.
Jenkins, who was bisexual, was brutally beaten and left for dead by the trio in Bute Park in the early morning hours of 20 July, 2021. The 54-year-old father-of-two was left with a severe brain injury and died 16 days later.
Jason Edwards, 26, Lee Strickland, 36, and Dionne Timms-Williams, 17, were found guilty by a jury at Merthyr Crown Court on 3 February.
Edwards and Strickland were sentenced to 32 years and 123 days in prison. Timms-Williams was told she would serve a minimum of 17 years and 125 days.
Judge Daniel Williams said at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday (25 March): “You chose [Gary] as the victim of this homophobic attack. The three of you took an equal part in beating Dr Gary Jenkins to death.
“For as long as 28 minutes, you three beat Gary to death. You ignored his desperate pleas to stop. His agonised pleas just prompted homophobic insults.”
Statement from Stonewall Cymru:
“It is deeply shocking and upsetting to hear of the brutal attack and murder of Dr Gary Jenkins last year, in Cardiff. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with Dr Gary Jenkins’ family, friends, and colleagues. (1/3)
— Stonewall Cymru (@StonewallCymru) February 3, 2022
ITV News reported that during the hearing, the court was read a statement by Dr Jenkins’ wife, who said the doctor was a “kind soul”.
She said: “When the family learned of the awful attack on Gary, our world fell apart. He was such a kind soul who would never hurt anyone.
“We are all finding it incredibly hard to find some sense of normality.
“As a family we are relieved that justice has been done. We hope to put the pieces of our lives back together again and find some peace”.
Iestyn Wyn, campaigns, policy and research manager at Stonewall Cymru, said that it was “deeply shocking and upsetting” to hear about the “brutal attack and murder” last year.
“Lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people, should be safe to live their lives without fear, and this horrific incident is a reminder of the hate our communities still face simply for being themselves,” Wyn said.
“As people across the UK mourn the heart-breaking loss of Dr Jenkins, the Welsh and UK governments must take urgent action to challenge all forms of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime, and ensure that every lesbian, gay, bi and trans person is free to be themselves.”