The shocking downfall of disgraced musician Ian Watkins took another dark turn when two inmates were charged with his murder inside HMP Wakefield.
The 48-year-old former Lostprophets frontman, notorious for his horrific crimes against children, was found dead after what police described as a “serious assault.”
Rashid Gedel, aged 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, were brought before magistrates in Leeds this morning to face the murder charge.
Both men appeared calm and expressionless, speaking only to confirm their names and ages before being remanded in custody.
The Court Appearance and Tight Security
The atmosphere in court was tense as Gedel and Dodsworth entered wearing bright yellow and green “escape suits.”
Each was surrounded by several security guards during their brief and separate hearings.
No pleas were entered, and no bail applications were made.
The pair are expected to reappear at Leeds Crown Court for a further hearing tomorrow.
Their court appearance comes just days after emergency services were called to HMP Wakefield on Saturday morning, where Watkins was pronounced dead.
The former rock star had been serving a near 30-year sentence for child sex offences that once horrified the world.
Disturbing Details from Inside Wakefield Prison
Reports from inside the high-security jail have painted a grim picture of Watkins’ final days.
Prison insiders claim he had long paid fellow inmates for protection but was ultimately attacked when prisoners were released from their cells.
His throat was allegedly slashed in a violent assault.
Interestingly, Watkins was not being housed on a protected wing for sex offenders but was instead living among some of Wakefield’s most dangerous prisoners.
One insider claimed, “It was as if he knew his time was up.”
Following the murder, officials at HMP Wakefield intensified weapons searches amid fears of a copycat attack.
Witnesses said a prison van was seen leaving the facility late Saturday night.
Police Confirm the Charges
West Yorkshire Police later confirmed the disturbing news in a statement: “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.”
The statement identified both Gedel and Dodsworth as inmates of HMP Wakefield and confirmed their court appearance before Leeds Magistrates.
Ex-Girlfriend Speaks Out After His Death
Watkins’ former girlfriend, Joanne Mjadzelics, who was instrumental in exposing his crimes more than a decade ago, said she was shocked — but not surprised — by his death.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she admitted she had long feared a call like this.
“This is a big shock, but honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner,” she said.
“He was walking around with a target on his back from the first day he entered prison.”
Mjadzelics, who now suffers from PTSD and self-harm due to her traumatic connection to Watkins, confessed that she felt “relieved” after hearing of his death.
“I wanted him dead for a long time after everything he did. I feel like a weight has been lifted.
He manipulated me, and the man who died in that prison was a stranger — not the one I once thought I loved.”
She added that the families of Watkins’ victims would likely feel the same sense of relief.
“Maybe now, a new part of my life will begin,” she said quietly.
A History of Horror: Watkins’ Crimes and Convictions
Back in 2013, Watkins was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to 29 years in prison, made up of consecutive 14-year and 15-year terms, for his appalling crimes.
These included attempting to rape a fan’s baby daughter and engaging in sexual activity with a child.
Two women — known as Mother A and Mother B — who were complicit in his crimes were also sentenced to lengthy jail terms of 14 and 17 years.
Court records revealed deeply disturbing exchanges.
Watkins once told one of the women, “You and your daughter now belong to me,” and even responded “Hell yes, baby,” when another woman offered him a “summer of child porn.”
Investigators later discovered his vast digital archive — an encrypted collection of child abuse images and videos totalling 27 terabytes.
To put that in perspective, it was five times the data capacity of the entire South Wales Police force at the time.
The government’s cyber experts from GCHQ were called in to break the encryption protecting his files.
The Trial and Its Unprecedented Depravity
During his trial, Watkins initially denied all charges before abruptly changing his plea to guilty.
His legal team argued that heavy drug use, including crack cocaine and crystal meth, had impaired his memory.
But Detective Chief Inspector Peter Doyle described him as “a man who went to great lengths to hide his wrongdoing.”
Judge Mr Justice Royce called the case one of “unprecedented depravity,” adding that Watkins displayed a “complete lack of remorse” and posed a “significant risk to the public, particularly to women with young children.”
The Fall of a Band and Public Outrage
Watkins co-founded the Welsh rock band Lostprophets in 1997.
The group achieved major success with five albums before the shocking revelations in 2013 destroyed their legacy.
The band members publicly condemned Watkins and announced their split before his sentencing, claiming they had no knowledge of his crimes.
Following the scandal, stores like HMV removed Lostprophets’ music from their shelves, and Rhondda Cynon Taf council even removed paving stones engraved with the band’s lyrics.
Prison Struggles and a Hidden Mobile Phone
Even behind bars, Watkins continued to make headlines.
In 2019, he received an extra 10-month sentence after being caught with a mobile phone, which he claimed two other inmates had forced him to keep.
He said they wanted to use it to contact women who sent him fan mail — turning them into a “revenue stream.”
Watkins refused to name the men out of fear, saying the prison housed “murderers, rapists, and serial killers.”
But Judge Rodney Jameson KC rejected his excuse, concluding Watkins had voluntarily kept the phone hidden inside his body for five days.
Failed Appeals and Unrelenting Condemnation
In 2014, Watkins tried and failed to appeal the length of his 29-year sentence.
His lawyers argued that his last-minute guilty plea should have earned him leniency for sparing jurors from viewing disturbing footage.
However, Lord Justice Pitchford refused the appeal, saying the crimes were “of such shocking depravity that a very lengthy sentence was demanded.”
Among the footage due to be shown in court were videos of his attempted rape of a baby and a webcam session where he instructed a fan to abuse her child.
Prior Prison Attacks and a Violent End
Watkins had previously survived an attack inside HMP Wakefield in August 2023, when three inmates assaulted him and left him with neck injuries.
Riot officers had to intervene using stun grenades to end the assault, and Watkins was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary for life-saving treatment.
Sadly, that attack foreshadowed what would eventually happen.
Just over a year later, the convicted paedophile’s life came to a brutal end inside one of Britain’s toughest prisons — a death that many say was inevitable given the nature of his crimes.
Reflection on a Fallen Star
Once the face of a chart-topping rock band, Ian Watkins’ name has become synonymous with one of the most disturbing criminal cases in British music history.
His death has reopened painful wounds for his victims and reignited debate over prison safety and the treatment of sex offenders in high-security facilities.
For many, though, Watkins’ violent death marks the grim but final chapter in a story defined by manipulation, cruelty, and irreversible damage — both to his victims and to the legacy of the band he once led.