Inmate said Watkins attack would 'make me famous'

A prisoner accused of murdering paedophile singer Ian Watkins told jail staff: "If I've killed him, you could be talking to someone famous," prosecutors have told a jury.

Lostprophets frontman Watkins was stabbed to death in his cell at HMP Wakefield on 11 October, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences.

Prosecutors told Leeds Crown Court serving prisoner Rashid Gedel went into Watkins' cell less than 20 minutes after it was unlocked for the morning and stabbed him three times in the head and neck with a home-made knife, before passing it to Samuel Dodsworth to dispose of.

Gedel, 25, and Dodsworth, 44, both deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife in prison.

The court heard the attack lasted just 20 seconds and Gedel was "perky" when he was detained by prison officers afterwards.

He later told police he was jealous of "nonce prisoners" because they "got treated like royalty," and he thought it was disgusting having to share a wing with sex offenders at HMP Wakefield, where they were not segregated.

At the time of its last inspection in 2025, around two-thirds of the inmates at HMP Wakefield were convicted of sexual offences.

Tom Storey KC said Watkins, who was a "particularly notorious and high-profile" prisoner, received two notes the day before he was killed which accused him of getting another prisoner kicked off the wing, demanded money from him and threatened violence.

The court heard Gedel had been moved into the same wing as Watkins and Dodsworth the day before the attack and "coincidentally" put in the cell next to Watkins.

On the morning of Watkins' death, prison officers started unlocking the cells on B wing after 09:00 BST and Gedel left his cell, but Watkins chose to remain inside.

Prior to the attack taking place, prison CCTV showed the defendants talking to each other and another man before separating.

Storey said Gedel was then seen on the landing outside Watkins' cell, "in all likelihood waiting for a moment when the prison officers on the landing were out of sight".

CCTV showed Gedel going into Watkins' cell just before 9:20 and leaving 20 seconds later, before walking towards Dodsworth and passing him something.

Dodsworth glanced at the item and put it in the pocket of his jogging bottoms, jurors heard.

Footage showed Watkins emerging from his cell with blood visible on the neck of his T-shirt.

Paramedics were unable to resuscitate Watkins and he was declared dead just before 10.15.

Storey said staff who were told to observe Gedel through the hatch in his cell door commented on "his perky demeanour".

"He also told the same officer, 'If I've killed him, you could be talking to someone famous'," the prosecutor said.

Before all prisoners were locked in their cells, Dodsworth was seen going into an alcove with some bins, where prison officers later found a homemade knife with blood on it.

Dodsworth told police he had not been involved in the incident and tried to give the knife back to Gedel.

He said he put the blade in the bin "in panic" after seeing Watkins standing at his door with a big gash on his neck.