WEST YORKSHIRE, U.K. — Two prisoners have been charged with the murder of disgraced Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins, who was found dead inside HMP Wakefield on Saturday morning.
Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year prison sentence for a series of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby — crimes that a judge once described as “plunging new depths of depravity.”
West Yorkshire Police confirmed that Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both inmates at HMP Wakefield, have been charged with murder in connection with Watkins’ death. The pair are scheduled to appear before Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Monday, October 13.
Prison staff discovered Watkins with serious injuries on Saturday morning. Despite emergency medical intervention, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Watkins had been imprisoned since 2013, when he pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to 13 child sex offences, including the rape and sexual assault of a child under 13, conspiracy to rape, and seven counts involving indecent images of children. He also admitted to possessing extreme pornographic material depicting a sex act involving an animal.
During his trial, the court heard how Watkins plotted with the mothers of two babies to sexually abuse their children, expressing his intent to “cross the line.” He even discussed using drugs to intoxicate a young victim by blowing crystal meth smoke into the child’s face.
A particularly disturbing 17-minute video, filmed in a London hotel, was presented in court, showing Watkins performing a sexual act on a child.
Sentencing him to nearly three decades behind bars, Mr Justice Royce said Watkins’ crimes had “broken new ground” in their severity, describing him as having a “corrupting influence” and a “complete lack of remorse.” The judge warned that Watkins posed an ongoing risk to women with young children.
Authorities have not yet confirmed how Watkins died or the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack, but an ongoing murder investigation is being led by West Yorkshire Police in collaboration with the Prison Service.
