Inmate accused of murdering pedophile ex-rock star Ian Watkins boasted about being famous after attack: prosecutors
A prisoner accused of murdering pedophile and disgraced British ex-rock star Ian Watkins allegedly bragged about becoming “someone famous” after carrying out the fatal 20-second attack.Watkins, 48, the former frontman of Lostprophets, was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex crimes, including the attempted rape of a baby, when he was attacked in his cell at HMP Wakefield on Oct.11, 2025, prosecutors told jurors at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday.“If I’ve killed him, you could be talking to someone famous,” inmate Rico Gedel, 25, allegedly told prison guards after the stabbing, according to the Guardian.Gedel allegedly launched the attack using a homemade knife moments after prison officers unlocked cells on the wing shortly after 9 a.m.As guards escorted Gedel away after the stabbing, he allegedly passed Watkins’ cell and remarked, “Have a good night’s sleep Watkins lad.”“If I’m going to do life for murder, I’m going to make sure it’s worth it,” Gedel allegedly told one officer.Prison officers later described Gedel as “perky” and “happy to chat” after he was detained, prosecutors said, adding he appeared to find “the situation amusing.”Surveillance footage showed Gedel enter Watkins’ cell at 9:19 a.m.
and leave roughly 20 seconds later before allegedly handing an item to inmate Samuel Dodsworth, 44.Dodsworth is accused of acting as a lookout and disposing of the weapon after the stabbing.Both defendants deny murder and possession of a weapon in prison.Watkins remained inside his cell after the doors were unlocked that morning, while Gedel allegedly waited for prison staff to move out of sight before launching the attack.Maintenance workers on the prison wing later saw Watkins emerge from his cell, clutching his neck with blood visible on his shirt, prosecutors said.
They immediately alerted officers, who rushed to help.One prison officer pressed a towel against what prosecutors described as a “particularly large wound�...