The former frontman of the band Lostprophets, Ian Watkins, who was serving a 29-year prison sentence, suffered fatal injuries in an incident at the correctional facility just after 09:30 BST on Saturday. On Monday morning, Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court. Watkins, 48, had been incarcerated in 2013 for a series of heinous child sex offenses, including the attempted rape of a baby.
During back-to-back hearings at the court, both Mr. Dodsworth and Mr. Gedel spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth. The court informed both defendants that they would appear before Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, with no pleas entered during the brief proceedings.
Watkins, who faced an additional six years on license if ever released, admitted to the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 but pleaded not guilty to rape. He also confessed to conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven charges related to taking, making, or possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing extreme pornographic material involving a sex act on an animal.
During sentencing, Mr. Justice Royce remarked that the case broke "new ground" and "plunged into new depths of depravity." Watkins had previously been attacked at Wakefield Prison in 2023, though his injuries were not life-threatening on that occasion.
Formed in Pontypridd in 1997, Lostprophets rose to become one of the UK's most prominent bands, notching 11 top 40 hits and a number one album between 2002 and 2010. In a statement released after his conviction, the remaining members of the band expressed their "heartbreak, anger, and disgust" at his crimes, adding that their "hearts go out" to his victims.
Wakefield Prison, a high-security facility housing some of the UK's most notorious offenders, currently holds over 600 inmates. A report on conditions within the prison, published last month, revealed that violence had "increased markedly" since the previous inspection in 2022. It also noted that the prison's "infrastructure was in a poor state," citing "repeated breakdowns of essential equipment" and "some significant elements of the prison's perimeter security systems."
Among those currently serving time at Wakefield Prison are believed to be Roy Whiting, who murdered eight-year-old Sarah Payne in 2000, and Reynhard Sinaga, who was convicted of 159 sexual offenses against 48 men in 2020. Both men have reportedly faced attacks at the jail in recent years. Harold Shipman, Ian Huntley, and Piran Ditta Khan are also among the former inmates to have served time at Wakefield.
Who was Ian Watkins? Watkins was once one of Wales' most recognizable musicians—the frontman of the rock band Lostprophets. At the peak of their fame, the group sold millions of albums worldwide. However, the band disbanded immediately after Watkins' conviction in 2013.
Prosecutors described Watkins as a man corrupted by fame, drugs, and power—one who committed crimes "beyond imagination." His trial revealed that Watkins had used his celebrity status to manipulate and control others, often under the influence of hard drugs, including crystal meth.
After Watkins was sentenced, Des Mannion, the NSPCC's national head of service for Wales, said, "Watkins exploited his status and global fame as a means to manipulate people and sexually abuse children. But we must remember that this case isn't about celebrity; it's about victims. And those victims are children."
