Dr. Gary Jenkins: Trio Who Murdered Psychiatrist In “Vicious” Homophobic Attack Jailed For Life
March 29, 2022Two men and a teenage girl have been given life sentences for the homophobic murder of a father-of-two in Cardiff.
Lee Strickland, 36, and Jason Edwards, 26, will serve at least 32 years behind bars each for the killing of consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Gary Jenkins.
Dionne Timms-Williams, 17, will be detained for at a minimum of 17 years.
The three defendants kicked and punched “kind” and “compassionate” Dr. Jenkins to death in a park in the early hours of July 20 last year.
The 54-year-old was left unrecognizable and suffered multiple severe brain injuries during the ordeal, according to Sky News.
He died at the University Hospital of Wales 16 days later.
Audio from CCTV footage captured Dr. Jenkins begging for his life – but the trio showed no mercy.
Timms-Williams – who didn't know Edwards and Strickland before the attack – can be heard laughing at the terrified victim during the beating, which lasted almost 30 minutes.
The schoolgirl, who was 16 at the time, said: “Yeah, I needed that.”
All three defendants admitted manslaughter and robbery but were convicted of murder after an eight-day trial at Merthyr Crown Court in South Wales between January and February this year.
The trio were in the park hunting for vulnerable gay men to rob, prosecutor Dafydd Enoch QC told jurors the trio.
Their attack was motivated by “greed, homophobia, and a straightforward liking of violence,” the court heard.
Bisexual father-of-two, Dr. Jenkins separated from his wife and returned to his home city of Cardiff around 6 years before his death.
He often visited the park in pursuit of sexual encounters with other men, jurors heard.
Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said the defendants has shown no remorse for the killing.
“The three of you took an equal part in beating Gary Jenkins to death.
“Each of you punched, kicked and stamped on him and encouraged each other to do so.
“For as long as 28 minutes it may be that the three of you beat Gary Jenkins.
“There are no words to describe the audio recording of the attack. You ignored his desperate pleas to stop even after his pleas turned to groans as his life ebbed away.”
The world is “all the more dimmer” after Dr. Jenkins' death, the judge added.
“It's less kind. It's less colorful, with less humor, music and energy.
“I have no doubt it will be of some comfort to those who most keenly feel his loss to reflect on the good that he did in his 54 years, and not the terrible injustice of his last moments.”
Dr. Jenkins' wife said he had dedicated his life to helping others and was “one of the most humane, kind, compassionate doctors one could ever come across.”
"The loss of many more years and the happy times that Gary could have had with his daughters has been very painful and distressing to bear.
“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. And through this process, we hope to rediscover our trust in humanity.”
Strickland has 58 previous convictions and Edwards has 35 – although none are for serious violence, which their lawyers said showed the attack was “entirely out of character.”
Mitigating, Timms-Williams – previously cautioned for possession of a blade in 2019 – was vulnerable to exploitation due to historical “trauma,” the court heard.
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