Two inmates have been formally charged with the murder of Ian Watkins, the former LOSTPHOPHETS frontman who was fatally stabbed inside HMP Wakefield on October 11. The suspects—Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43—appeared separately before Judge Dunne at Leeds Magistrates Court on Monday, October 13.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed the charges in a statement released Monday morning: “Detectives have charged two men with murder after the death of a prisoner at HMP Wakefield on Saturday. Ian Watkins, 48, was pronounced dead after being seriously assaulted at HMP Wakefield on Saturday morning (11 October). Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both of HMP Wakefield have both been charged with murder. They are due to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court this morning.”
Both men have been remanded in custody and are expected to appear at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday.
Watkins was serving a 29-year sentence for multiple child sex offenses when he was attacked shortly after inmates were unlocked from their cells. Reports indicate his throat was slashed, severing his jugular and causing fatal blood loss.
“[Ian] was targeted by another inmate who shanked him in the neck,” a source told The Sun. “[Ian] was targeted by another inmate who shanked him in the neck. Guards were nearby and raced to the scene pretty quickly — but there was nothing they could do, and they could not save him. It was a horrific scene, with blood everywhere and alarms and sirens going off. Police and ambulances were called and the whole prison was locked down with all cons confined to their cells.”
Convicted in 2013, Watkins was found guilty of 13 child sex offenses, including attempted rape and conspiracy to rape a child. The investigation began with drug charges, which led police to uncover disturbing material on his computer. His arrest and conviction led to the dissolution of LOSTPHOPHETS, with the remaining members later forming a new band, NO DEVOTION.
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