Two charged with murder of Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins who died in prison attack

Two men were convicted of the murder of paedophile singer Ian Watkins, who was killed in Wakefield Prison. In an incident at the prison just after 09:30 BST on Saturday, the former Lostprophets frontman, who was serving a 29-year prison term, was fatally wounded. On Monday morning, Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court. Watkins, 48, was jailed in 2013 for a string of child sex offenses, including attempted rape of a baby.

Both Mr Dodsworth and Mr Gedel appeared separately during separate hearings at the court, merely to announce their names and dates of birth. Both defendants were told they would appear in Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, with no pleas entered during the brief hearings.

Watkins, who served on a six-year sentence if he had been released, admitted the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, but pleaded not guilty to raping. He also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven of which involved finding, making, or carrying indecent photographs of children, and one of possessing a provocative pornographic photograph depicting sex act on an animal. Mr Justice Royce said the lawsuit broke new ground and plunged into new depths of depravity during sentencing. Watkins was previously assaulted at Wakefield Prison in 2023, but his injuries were not life-threatening on that occasion.

Lostprophets became one of the UK's biggest bands, gaining 11 top 40 hits and a number one album between 2002 and 2010. The band's remaining members said they were heartbroken, angry, and disgusted at his crimes, and that their hearths go out to his victims, according to a statement released after his conviction.

Wakefield Prison, which houses some of the UK's most notorious offenders, currently holds more than 600 prisoners. According to a study published last month, violence has increased sharply since a previous inspection in 2022. The prison's infrastructure was in a bad shape, the prison said, quoting repeated breakdowns of critical equipment and "certain elements of the prison''s perimeter security systems. Roy Whiting, who murdered eight-year-old Sarah Payne in 2000, and Reynhard Sinaga, who was found guilty of 159 sexual offenses against 48 men in 2020, are among those currently serving time in the prison. Both men were said to have been assaulted at the prison in recent years. Former prisoners including Harold Shipman and Piran Ditta Khanare also served time in Wakefield.

Who was Ian Watkins?

Watkins was once one of Wales' most recognisable performers, as the frontman of the rock band Lostprophets. The group has sold millions of albums around the world at the height of its fame. However, the firm was disbanded immediately after Watkins was found guilty in 2013. Watkins was described as a man contaminated by fame, drugs, and power as he committed crimes with a beyond imagination, according to investigators. Watkins was found guilty of manipulating and bullying others, many under the influence of hard drugs, such as crystal methamphetamine.

Watkins used his celebrity and global fame to manipulate people and sexually assault children,

But we must also remember that this lawsuit isn't about celebrities; it's about victims. And those victims are children.