A dad was murdered in a homophobic attack carried out by two men and a teenager after they tried to find a gay man to rob.
Dr Gary Jenkins, a consultant, was brutally beaten, kicked and punched to death in Cardiff's Bute Park in the early hours of July 20 last year.
Today, a jury found three people including Jason Edwards, originally from Liverpool, guilty of murdering the 54 year old.
READ MORE: Doctor brutally beaten to death in park during 15 minute 'torture' campaign
Our sister site Wales Online is reporting the trial live.
Audio of the horrendous attack, carried out by Edwards, 25, Lee Strickland, 36, and Dionne Timms-Williams, 17, depicted Dr Jenkins pleading for help and for his attackers to “Leave me alone” but his cries were left unheeded.
Timms-Williams was able to be named for the first time today after she was found guilty.
After 15 minutes of being savagely beaten by the group, Dr Jenkins was left for dead covered in blood with his trousers pulled down.
He was taken to hospital but died two weeks later on August 5.
Edwards, Strickland and Timms-Williams were arrested and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter, robbery and assaulting a man who tried to intervene.
They all denied murder but were found guilty by a jury on Thursday following a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
The trial heard Dr Jenkins had gone to Bute Park in order to have sexual encounters with other men but he was targeted by the group because of his sexuality and subjected to an unmerciful and sustained attack.
During the murder, which was caught on CCTV from the Summerhouse Cafe, Dr Jenkins can be heard shouting: “Argh… I haven’t got any money… Argh… Please help me…. What are you doing?”
He also shouts: “Stop it, stop it (Repeated)... Argh that was…. Argh get off me, leave me alone.”
During the assault, Edwards could be heard shouting: “Stamp his head, stamp his head now, stamp his head bro.” and the doctor is subjected to homophobic abuse.”
Timms-Williams could also be heard shouting for money and saying: “F****** c***, I don’t give a f***.”
At the end of the attack, she was heard saying: “Yeah I needed that.”
Addressing the jury at the start of the trial, prosecutor Dafydd Enoch said: “On July 20 last year in the early hours of the morning was in Bute Park in Cardiff where he was viciously beaten, robbed, tortured and left for dead by these three defendants in the dock.
“It was a beating apparently motivated by greed, homophobia, and a straightforward liking of violence.”
Jurors were sent out for deliberations yesterday and returned guilty verdicts this afternoon.
The judge, Daniel Williams, adjourned sentencing for a pre sentence report and a psychiatric report in the case of Timms-Williams.
A provisional date for the sentencing hearing has been given as March 25.
Addressing the jury, Judge Williams said: “Any available sentence for someone convicted of murder is life imprisonment. The court must set a minimum period of imprisonment before a defendant becomes eligible for the parole board to consider release.”
He said in Edwards and Strickland’s case, the likely minimum period would be 30 years and in Timms-Williams’ case 12-years, but this would be adjusted up or down depending on aggravating and mitigating features.
Speaking after the trial, Thomas Edwards of 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.”
