Campaigners in Cardiff are calling for the police and other authorities to do more to protect LGBTQ+ people after it emerged the sadistic homophobic murder of a consultant psychiatrist was only one of a spate of hate crimes recorded at the time.
A vigil is to be held near Bute Park in the city on Sunday after a 17-year-old girl and two men were found guilty of murdering Dr Gary Jenkins by beating him and stamping on his head for 15 minutes in the early hours of a morning in July last year.
Following the conclusion of the trial, there will be a vigil in memory of Dr Gary Jenkins on Sunday at 17:30 on the steps of the National Museum. pic.twitter.com/2j4qPGhSPa
— iestyn (@iestynwyn) February 3, 2022
There has been an outpouring of grief and concern from the LGBTQ+ community in Wales, with members saying they have experienced an increase in aggression over the past two years, and some pointing out that Jenkins’ murder was an example of a string of hate crimes that coincided with release from lockdown.
During the attack and robbery in July, Jenkins, a bisexual man, was subject to homophobic abuse. Afterwards, Dionne Timms-Williams, who was 16 at the time, said: “I needed that.” It emerged after the three were found guilty of murder that one of the killers, Lee Strickland, 36, had targeted men in the park before.
Iestyn Wyn, the campaigns, policy and research manager at Stonewall Cymru, said the case had provoked “intense horror”. “There’s a sense of fear within the LGBTQ+ community that there is an increase in prejudice and hate and negative attitudes,” he said.
Wyn emphasised the problem was a global rather than a Cardiff issue. “Some people feel able at the moment to say what they want to whoever they want. For decades we’ve lived in a society where if you hold beliefs that are dangerous or harmful, you wouldn’t express that. It’s become clear that people feel they are able to express their hatred of people who are different.
“We need a frank and open conversation about what can be done by those who have responsibility for our safety. There needs to be a UK-wide conversation.”
Homophobic and transphobic hate crime recorded by police in the UK rose sharply after lockdown restrictions were eased. The highest number of violent sexual orientation hate crimes in a calendar month recorded by South Wales police between the start of 2019 and August 2021 was July 2021 (153), according to analysis from the PA news agency.
A few weeks before Jenkins was attacked, student Yang Wu, 27, was left with facial injuries after a homophobic attack on a road close to the park. In September a man carried out a homophobic attack on two other men in the Splott area of the city and posters advertising an LGBTQ+ festival were pulled down. Matthew Williams, professor of criminology at Cardiff University, said there was emerging evidence that as the world emerged from lockdowns there were “flashpoints” of violence.
Yan White, creator of the Queer Emporium in Cardiff, which brings together a string of LGBTQ+ businesses, said: “The police need to have a look at how they strategise in terms of protecting vulnerable people.” He said other forces had programmes to keep people who meet in places like Bute Park safe. “There’s no equivalent here.”
Cardiff councillor Ashley Lister, who campaigns on LGBTQ+ issues, said: “We don’t want kneejerk reactions. We have to work with the community and the authorities about engaging to improve the inclusivity for the city, not to create barriers. It’s sickening in 2022 we’re organising a vigil for a man who was brutally murdered over his sexuality. It’s scary.”
Adam Price, the leader of Plaid Cymru, said the murder had sent shock waves through the LGBTQ+ community but said it was “an all too familiar feeling”, adding: “Until the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ people are heard and affirmed across society, there will continue to be hate crime. The work that needs to be done has to start in schools, it’s got to be in workplaces and it needs to be across all of society.”
The Cardiff-based lesbian activist Lisa Power said the city had used to be known as one of the safest for LGBTQ+ people. “But it’s going backwards. We need better education in schools, we need to support people to challenge hate speech. Allowing people to talk trash to people about their gender, sexuality or ethnic origin can end in terrible crimes like this.”
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “What we saw in July 2021 was a homophobic attack in the heart of our capital. It is a cruel reminder that while we have made great strides in the campaign for equality, we still have a very long way to go.”
South Wales police said it was working to make Bute Park safe. A spokesperson said: “South Wales police has worked with the local authority and Bute Park management to survey Bute Park, assess what additional measures may be instigated in the park and as a result there have been agreed improvements in CCTV and lighting, park assess and patrols from the police and partners to prevent and detect crime.”
It said it had launched a range of initiatives ranging from plain clothes officers patrolling the centre at night to protect vulnerable people and student safety campaigns.
The spokesman added: “Hate crime has always been a priority for South Wales police. Every day officers work with the community and local representative groups to ensure that the rights of people from all backgrounds, races and cultures, regardless of their circumstances are upheld.”
