The jury has been discharged in the trial of two men accused of killing disgraced former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins in prison.
The convicted child sex offender and former singer died in HMP Wakefield last October at the age of 48. Watkins was 12 years into a 29-year sentence, with a further six years on licence, after pleading guilty in 2013 to 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby, conspiring to rape a child and other sexual offences against children.
Two men were arrested following Watkins’ death, and inmates Rico Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 44, were later charged with murder and possessing a knife in prison. Both deny the charges.
Addressing the jury at Leeds Crown Court on Friday (May 22), Mr Justice Hilliard told the jury: “Very reluctantly, I’m going to discharge you and the case will have to be re-tried. That’s disappointing for you and for everyone.”
The court heard that a provisional re-trial date had been set for February 8 next year.
Prosecutors had alleged that Gedel entered Watkins’ cell and stabbed him the head and neck with a makeshift knife, before passing the weapon to Dodsworth, who allegedly wrapped it in tissue and placed it in a bin.
Prosecutors alleged that Dodsworth, who is serving a sentence for rape, “knew the attack was going to happen” and assisted Gedel by disposing of the weapon. Dodsworth told the court he played no part in the attack and panicked when Gedel handed him the knife.
The trial also heard that Gedel, who is serving a life sentence for murder, asked prison officers to “let me know when he dies” after the alleged attack. He also said that he had threatened to hurt “any number of paedophiles” unless he was transferred from HMP Wakefield.
Gedel had previously been reported to have boasted about becoming “famous” after Watkins’ death.
Watkins had previously been attacked in prison in 2023, when he was stabbed and taken hostage by three other inmates. He was later found and freed by officers and taken to hospital.
It was later reported that Watkins had been stabbed with a “sharpened toilet brush” over a drug debt.
In 2019, he was sentenced to an additional 10 months in prison for possessing a mobile phone on top of the sentence he was serving for child sex offences.
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