A 17-year-old girl as well as two men have been handed life sentences following the tragic homosexual murders of psychiatrist who was described by his family as”a “kind soul”. The three abused their victim, Dr Gary Jenkins, a father of two children, by kicks and punching him as well as slapping upon his forehead for as long as 28 minutes, while they begged him to stop.
In the violent attack and robbery that took place in Bute Park in Cardiff, Jenkins, 54 was subjected to homophobic abuse , and the three left him partly dressed. Afterward, Dionne Timms-Williams, who was just 16 at the time, and was not acquainted with her attackers prior to the incident she was attacked, told the police: “I needed that.”
The trio was sentenced in Cardiff crown court the judge Williams declared that Jason Edwards, Lee Strickland and Timms Williams went to the park to find someone who was gay to take. Williams claimed the attack was homophobic, and that all three were equally responsible. In a tribute to Jenkins The judge praised Jenkins and said: “The world is drabber due to his passing. It’s more boring, less loving. He dedicated his career to ease the suffering of other people and took the extra mile to assist the patients he treated.”
Edwards as well as Strickland will each serve a minimum that is 33 years prior to being eligible to be paroled. Timms Williams, 17, will be held for an additional 18 years in prison before she is eligible to be considered as a parolee. They’ll spend the rest of their lives under license.
In her statement of victim impact, Jenkins’ wife, Maria says Jenkins never would have caused harm to anyone. “Gary was smart and funny, the heart and soul of every party,” she wrote. “He was a remarkably generous and talented man who had just good motives. The brutality of his death is a real blow.”
She stated that Jenkins’ daughters’ lives were “massively” affected. “They struggle in areas in which they thrived like their educational and emotional well-being. We all have flashbacks of nightmares at night.” She also said: “The loss of many years of happiness and memories Gary could have shared with his daughters is extremely depressing. Gary had a lot of his life left. “Gary’s private life was put on display has only increased the pain. It’s been a terrible experience having to learn detail of the events that transpired. Gary’s passing has had an effect for his family members. Gary was a committed and hardworking doctor. He was always willing to go that extra step. He will be greatly missed by his coworkers and patients. There aren’t winners here there are only losers.”
Louis Williams, a passerby who came to Jenkins assistance, stated in his personal statement regrets not being a stronger fighter and could have contributed more to helping. He admitted that he was now worried for the safety of his family, and Timms-Williams’s actions caused him to wonder if the issue was rooted in something that was not right with the society.
Caroline Rees QC, for Timms-Williams, claimed she suffered trauma which resulted in alcohol and drug dependence. She denied being homophobic and claimed to have displayed remorse. Rees stated that the girl who resided together with her mum in a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan, had not had any contact with the male attackers prior to the incident and was therefore vulnerable. The court heard that she was issued an order of caution in the year 2019 for having a knife.
Edwards has been convicted of 35 times before and Strickland is 58, yet neither of them had been convicted before of serious violent crimes. Both were afflicted with problems with alcohol and drugs, and the judge stated neither of them had displayed remorse.
The incident triggered a flood of sorrow and worry with campaigners stating that the killing of Jenkins the bisexual man is a prime example of a number of hate crimes which occurred with the ending of the lockdown.
There was also a sense of anger over the way the prosecution presented the case, stating it was the victim’s “sexual predilections would be his undoing”. The jury was told that Jenkins was divorced from his wife for six years prior to his death and then returned to his home town of Cardiff.
He was at Park in early morning of the 20th July when three people were drinking and swarmed the man. The audio of the incident was captured by a CCTV camera inside the cafe that was shuttered. It was recorded that he cried in pain: “Please help me” and repeatedly shouting: “Stop it” and “Why?” One of the suspects was heard to subject him to homophobic abuse , and one of them yelled: “Stamp on his head.”
Following the incident, Edwards and Timms-Williams embraced. Strickland purchased a bottle whisky with the help of a card taken from Jenkins. The girl seemed happy she contacted her mother declare that she didn’t need to be picked up, and then stayed in the evening with a friend.
