A court heard how a killer nicknamed 'Scouse' hugged a young girl just minutes after beating a dad to death in a public park.
Dr Gary Jenkins was beaten, tortured, and kicked to death by a gang of remorseless murderers who left him unconscious and covered in blood, with his trousers pulled down, in a homophobic attack. The horrendous incident, described as a “grotesque display of savage violence” against the 54-year-old occurred in Bute Park, Cardiff, in the early hours of July 20, 2021.
Jason Edwards was originally from Liverpool and moved to Cardiff, where he picked up the moniker. The 26-year-old, along with co-defendants Lee Strickland, 36, and Dionne Timms-Williams, 17, rained down blows on Dr Jenkins as he begged to be left alone.
READ MORE: Laughing gang who tortured doctor to death in park jailed for life
After 15 minutes of being savagely beaten, Dr Jenkins was left for dead and despite being taken to hospital, he died two weeks later on August 5. The court heard how Dr Jenkins was bisexual, a fact he was open about with his colleagues, and it was known by them he sometimes went to Bute Park late at night to take part in sexual acts with other men.
After murdering Dr Jenkins Strickland walked back to the Esso garage in Cathedral Road and was seen on CCTV at 1.21am, reports WalesOnline, using his victim's bank cards to purchase a bottle of whiskey. Edwards and Timms-Williams left Bute Park on the east side onto North Road.
At 1.29am the two were clearly seen locked in an embrace, in stark contrast to the unrelenting violence they had inflicted on their victim just minutes earlier. Edwards later threw away Dr Jenkins' phone which was found in a back garden and made his way back to Queen Street, where he met Strickland at 1.45am and gave him a celebratory hug.
Edwards could be seen with a broad smile on his face, and they proceeded to ride off before being stopped by Police. Edwards managed to escape and could be seen running from Albert Street, Canton, before heading back to his flat in Litchfield Court in Riverside. He was eventually arrested on July 21.
Edwards, Strickland and Timms-Williams pleaded guilty to manslaughter, robbery and assaulting a man who tried to intervene but all denied murder. They were found guilty by a jury following a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court last month. Judge Daniel Williams passed sentence on Friday (March 25), handing Edwards and Strickland life sentences with a minimum of 33 years in prison, while Timms-Williams was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years behind bars.
In an emotional statement, read to the court on her behalf, Dr Jenkins' wife paid tribute to him and to those who had tried to save him during the assault. She said: "As a family we were devastated to learn about what happened to Gary as he was such a kind soul who would never hurt anyone.
"The reality of his tortured death has hit us hard and we are all finding it incredibly difficult to find some sense of normality since his untimely death. Gary was smart and funny and the heart and soul of every party. He was an incredibly generous and creative man who had only good intentions.
"After seeing Gary in hospital unconscious and unrecognisable, we’ve all had to face up to the nightmare of what happened. In particular, Gary’s daughters’ lives have been massively affected as they have lost their beloved father.
“They are struggling in areas of their lives where they were thriving before this attack, such as their education and emotional state – and all of us have had recurrent nightmares and daytime flashbacks directly linked to his attack and death. 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."
As he sentenced Dr Jenkins’ attackers, Judge Williams said: “The world is all the more dimmer for his passing. It’s less kind. It’s less colourful, with less humour, 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.”
