Consultant psychiatrist Dr Gary Jenkins, 54, was ‘viciously attacked and tortured’ in Bute Park, Cardiff
Two thugs and an ‘evil and sadistic’ teenage girl were today jailed for a combined total of 84 years for murdering a father-of-two psychiatrist in a sickening homophobic attack before laughing and hugging each other as he lay dying.
Jason Edwards, 26, Lee Strickland, 36, will serve at least 33 years behind bars each while Dionne Timms-Williams, 17, was handed 18 years as a minimum term – as a mugshot showed her smiling to the camera.
When released they will spend the rest of their lives on licence.
Judge Daniel Williams said the trio’s sustained and ferocious attack on Dr Gary Jenkins, 54, was aggravated by ‘sheer homophobia’.
Timms-Williams was laughing as she punched and kicked the doctor during the brutal robbery in Bute Park, in the shadow of Cardiff Castle, on July 20 2021.
The girl, who was just 16 at the time, egged on her fellow killers and was heard saying, ‘Yeah, I needed that’ as Dr Jenkins lay dying.
Disturbing audio captured the moment the trio started encouraging one another as they screamed ‘stamp on his head’ and ‘keep going’ during the 15-minute onslaught.
Timms-Williams could be heard saying ‘Get down’, ‘Do it all over again’, ‘Do it’ and ‘Hit him again’ as a male voice says: ‘Stamp on his head. Stamp on his head too’ while she called the helpless victim a “f*****g pig.” Another says ‘Keep going’ and ‘Oh, let me stamp on him again’.
The psychiatrist screamed ‘get off me’ and ‘please stop’ as he repeatedly asked why his attackers had targeted him, humiliating him further as they pulled down his blood-soaked trousers down.
Prosecutor Dafydd Enoch said: ‘The awful sounds of heavy blows being delivered to Dr Jenkins can clearly be heard. These defendants were indulging in sport.’
Edwards and Strickland were also caught on CCTV laughing in the wake of the attack after they stole Dr Jenkins’ card to buy alcohol.
Dionne, who lived with her company director mother in the Vale of Glamorgan village of Creigiau, was in a same-sex relationship herself – leaving neighbours baffled when asked about the homophobic attack.
Judge Williams said the three defendants were equally responsible for the murder of the ‘kind, generous, compassionate and humane’ doctor.
‘During the prolonged attack he was called, among other things, a poof and his trousers were pulled down in an act of humiliation,’ he said.
Dr Jenkins lived alone in Cardiff after separating from his wife six years earlier and had a close relationship with his two daughters.
Caroline Rees, defending Timms-Williams, said the teenager had never met her two accomplices before the night of the murder.
The court heard Timms-Williams had received a caution in 2019 for possessing a blade. Edwards had 35 previous convictions and Lee Strickland had 58 convictions on his record.
Dionne Timms-Williams, 17, was handed 18 years as a minimum term today – as a mugshot taken when she was in custody after the murder showed her smiling to the camera
Jason Edwards, 26, (left) Lee Strickland, 36, will serve at least 33 years behind bars each for the callous murder
Timms-Williams, then 16, gave a prepared statement to South Wales Police to say she had only met the pair on the night, had been forced to join in on the attack and was left ‘traumatised’ by their actions
Dionne (left), who lived with her company director mother Lisa Timms (right) in the Vale of Glamorgan village of Creigiau, was known to have been in a same-sex relationship herself – leaving neighbours baffled when asked about the homophobic attack
Jason Edwards, 25, left, Lee Strickland, 36, right, were caught on CCTV laughing in the wake of the attack after they stole Dr Jenkins’ card to buy alcohol
CCTV footage released from that night shows Timms-Williams (left) being offered a can of cider as she first meets Jason Edwards (centre) and Lee Strickland near Bute Park in the early hours of the morning before the fatal attack
Pictured: In the moments after the attack, Strickland and Edwards were pictured laughing and hugging each other (far right)
The three defendants showed no reaction as they were led to the cells.
Dr Jenkins had visited Bute Park that night ‘looking for sexual contact with other men’, and the three defendants were looking to rob ‘vulnerable gay men who were in the park for sex’, Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court was previously told.
The respected psychiatrist was seen on CCTV footage around the area walking through the area before Timms-Williams, Edwards and Strickland all met for the first time on nearby park benches.
After they finished robbing and beating the father-of-two, his attackers used his bank card to purchase alcohol at a nearby Esso Garage, before Edwards and Strickland were seen on CCTV taking a drunken ride through the city on a rented scooter.
Jurors watched key moments of the evening’s horrifying attack during the trial, including a bodycam clip of Strickland’s arrest and Timms-Williams’ police interview in which she declined to comment.
The court heard Dr Jenkins suffered an ‘unsurvivable brain injury’ after he was ‘beaten, tortured and left for dead’ and sadly died at the University Hospital of Wales two weeks later on August 5.
All three defendants were today found guilty of Mr Jenkins’ murder following an eight-day trial, after initially admitting to manslaughter charges.
Edwards and Strickland were kicked out of the courtroom after they appeared to laugh and joke with one another in the dock as their guilty verdicts were returned.
Timms-Williams met her accomplices earlier that night, having not been known to each other prior to the attack.
After meeting them in Queen Street and accepting a can of cider, Timms-Williams walked with Strickland and Edwards to the Esso garage in Cathedral Road, where she paid for more cans of alcohol.
The trio then entered Bute Park and spent time in the seating area outside the Summerhouse Cafe, opposite the Millennium Bridge.
A key part of the prosecution’s evidence was an audio recording of the attack taken from a CCTV camera located inside the café.
Before the clip was played, members of the jury and others in the courtroom were warned about its disturbing content, which gave an account of how Dr Jenkins was ‘cruelly beaten, robbed, tortured and left for dead’.
Beginning just before 1am, a man identified as Dr Jenkins can be heard repeatedly yelling ‘Leave me alone’ and ‘Get off me’.
A female voice – Timms-Williams – shouts ‘Money’ and ‘Now’, before homophobic slurs are used by one of the male defendants, believed to be Edwards, who has a Liverpool accent.
Dr Jenkins makes repeated pleas for his life, asking ‘Why?’ and saying ‘Please, stop it’.
His moans of pain become quieter before he is unable to speak any more.
Timms-Williams can be heard saying ‘Get down’, ‘Do it all over again’, ‘Do it’ and ‘Hit him again’.
Another male voice at one point says: ‘Stamp on his head. Stamp on his head too.’ Another says ‘Keep going’ and ‘Oh, let me stamp on him again’.
The attack lasts for 15 minutes, after which Timms-Williams can be heard saying: ‘Yeah, I needed that.’
Timms-Williams claimed in court that she took part in the attack alongside strangers Jason Edwards, 25, and Lee Strickland, 36, because she was ‘scared for her life’ if she did not join in.
But she went out ‘to target somebody for robbery and violence’ in the early hours of the morning on July 20 last year, the court heard.
Reacting to the killing, one neighbour said: ‘Before lockdown she was just an ordinary young girl – now she has killed someone in the most horrible of ways.
‘Her family will be horrified. They always seemed so nice and normal.’
In a statement following the verdict Iestyn Wyn, campaigns, policy and research manager at Stonewall Cymru said: ‘Lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people should be free to go about their lives without fear or restriction, but the tragic death of Dr Jenkins is reminder of the hate our communities face for simply existing.
‘Remarks made during the trial have further eroded the trust that our communities have in our justice system – where four in five (81%) of LGBTQ+ people already do not report hate incidents to the police.
‘As people across the UK mourn the heart breaking loss of Dr Jenkins, the Government must take urgent action to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes and ensure all our communities are safe and free.’
When opening his case for the prosecution, Mr Enoch said Dr Jenkins ‘sexual proclivities were to be his undoing’.
Dionne Timms-Williams, 17, (pictured) has today been named as the teenager who was laughing as she punched and kicked father-of-two psychiatrist Dr Gary Jenkins to death in a Cardiff park. She is said to have had a passion for horses (right)
Dr Gary Jenkins was in Bute Park when he was set upon by Jason Edwards, 25, Lee William Strickland, 36, and Timms-Williams
Evidence: Dr Gary Jenkins was pictured using the payment card which was later stolen and used by Strickland to buy alcohol
He added: ‘By engaging in that activity he rendered himself hopelessly vulnerable and was an easy target as he wandered about Bute Park. By its nature the activity he engaged in was risky.’
The Crown Prosecution Service later issued an apology for what it described as ‘insensitive remarks’.
After the verdict was reached, Gary’s family issued a statement, describing him as a ‘kind soul who would never hurt anyone’.
They added: ‘Gary was such a kind soul who would never hurt anyone. He was an incredibly generous and creative man who had only good intentions.
‘Gary’s private life, being put on display through a Crown Court trial has only intensified the impact of this event on our family, friends and colleagues.
‘It has been horrible to have to listen to the details of what happened.
‘Gary’s untimely death has also had an impact on his patients. Gary was one of the most humane, kind, compassionate doctors one could ever come across.
‘He spent most of his working life in the NHS.
‘We cannot bring Gary back. There are no winners in this case, only losers but as a family we are relieved that justice is done.
‘As a family we would like to thank both the police for their efforts in bringing justice and the 2 main witnesses in this trial, Mr Hill and Mr Williams for their extraordinary bravery and efforts to help Gary.
‘They are good Samaritans and we are eternally grateful to them and will never forget what they did to help.’
Witness Louis Williams could be heard throughout the disturbing audio recording, attempting to intervene, before the three defendants turn and assault him.
CCTV footage captured a 15-minute audio recording of the attack while Dr Jenkins pleaded for help. Timms-Williams can be heard shouting ‘do it’ in the chilling footage while also calling Dr Jenkins a ‘f***ing pig’ before leaving him for dead in a park
Timms-Williams lived at home (white house, pictured centre) in the commuter village of Creigiau near Cardiff with her mother
Pictured: Lee Strickland, 36, (pictured) was found guilty of Dr Jenkins’ murder following an eight-day trial
He told police that he attempted to lie on top of Dr Jenkins to shield him from the repeated kicks and punches.
Mr Williams said the three defendants laughed and shouted as they carried out the violence, and he thought Timms-Williams was ‘evil’ and ‘sadistic’.
‘I couldn’t understand why they were hurting him so much,’ he said.
During the trial, the jury heard Timms-Williams – who has a passion for horse riding – was seen wearing black knee-high socks as she headed to Bute Park near Cardiff Castle where she met Strickland and Edwards.
She was recorded before the attack saying: ‘If we’re going to stay in f***** Bute Park, can we at least go and steal?’
It is believed she did not know her two fellow killers before that night when they launched the vicious assault on Dr Jenkins.
Following the attack, Strickland could be seen on CCTV footage heading back to the Esso garage where he bought a bottle of whiskey using Dr Jenkins’ Santander debit card.
Timms-Williams and Edwards emerged from the North Road entrance and hugged and kissed each other for a number of minutes before they separated.
Edwards is seen walking back into the city centre and meeting up with Strickland, where they embrace and both appear to be smiling.
Timms-Williams who was just 16 at the time, was later arrested by police alongside Mr Edwards and Mr Strickland for the attack on Dr Jenkins.
The trio had admitted manslaughter, robbery and assault occasioning actual bodily harm but denied murder.
The teenager gave a prepared statement to police to say she had only met the pair on the night and was ‘traumatised’ by their actions.
Strickland (pictured above) was caught using Dr Jenkins’ stolen card to purchase alcohol from an Esso garage later that night
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Gary Jenkins, 54, was ‘viciously attacked and tortured’ in Bute Park, Cardiff (pictured), in the early hours of July 20 last year and died of his injuries 16 days later
Pictured: Jason Edwards rests his head on the desk as he is being interviewed by police whilst in custody in Bridgend
She said: ‘I saw one of the males throwing a punch. I saw him fall to the floor. They were both kicking and punching.
‘They said ‘come on2, for me to join in. I was terrified and scared for my life. I thought if I didn’t do what he wanted I would die. I couldn’t believe what was going on.
‘I have never been in the city centre at night on my own. I have never witnessed anything like that in my life.’
The court heard the teenager admitted hitting Dr Jenkins once and claimed she kicked him ‘a few times’ but insisted ‘they were not hard kicks’.
Timms-Williams said she had met the two men during the night after Edwards introduced himself as ‘Scouse’ and gave her two cans of cider.
She said: ‘I did not think Dr Gary Jenkins would be seriously injured.
‘I was too scared to call for help for him. I think they will hunt me down and hurt me or my family. I feared I would be attacked immediately if I tried to get away.’
When questioned by police, Edwards denied being in Bute Park that night but did say he thought of it as a ‘dirty park’ because gay men congregate there.
Edwards told detectives: ‘I was not in this f****** dirty park. So, listen to my words now, yeah, I’ve listened to your words, I was not there, yeah, I was not there. I was in my friend’s place, like I told you.’
A detective asked Edwards why it was a ‘dirty park’ and he replied: ‘A dirty park? Well, what do you say happens in there?
‘So why I am going to put myself, a straight person, walk through a gay park at night time?’
A detective asked Edwards: ‘You said it makes you feel uncomfortable?’
He replied: ‘It does make me feel uncomfortable, yeah, of course it does. In my eyes it is dirty.’
Dr Jenkins’ blood was later found on one of Edwards’ black Fila trainers.
Strickland, who was stopped by plain clothes police the same night, was found to have cut knuckles and his blood was discovered inside the pocket of Dr Jenkins’ jeans.
Following the verdict, Mr Enoch told the jury that a piece of evidence which had not been put before them was a statement from Strickland’s ex-girlfriend saying he had targeted gay men in the park regularly.
The clothes worn by Timms-Williams that night were never found, with the prosecution claiming she was ‘forensically aware’ and saying she intentionally got rid of them to avoid DNA evidence being found.
Thomas Edwards, Senior Crown Prosecutor with the CPS said: ‘The level of violence from all three defendants was truly shocking, with the evidence showing that they appeared to enjoy the cruelty of what they were doing.
‘Throughout the court process our thoughts have remained with the family and friends of Dr Jenkins, who is so clearly missed.’
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Stuart Wales said: ‘Dr Gary Jenkins was a much-loved father, husband, brother and friend.
‘Professionally, he had a successful medical career as a Consultant Psychiatrist and was highly-respected for the expert care and support he provided to his many patients.
‘The attack upon Dr Jenkins by the three defendants was cowardly and senseless in the extreme.
‘The degree and duration of unnecessary violence inflicted upon him, together with Homophobic abuse – all captured on audio, was both sickening and staggering – He did nothing whatsoever to warrant this.
‘Nothing will fill the void in the lives of those who loved Gary and have suffered the heartbreak of losing him in the most devastating circumstances.
‘We welcome the verdicts at court today and while we hope that in time Gary’s family can rebuild their lives, we know he will always be close in their thoughts. ‘
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