The jury in the trial of two inmates accused of murdering former Lostprophets vocalist Ian Watkins has been officially discharged. The 48-year-old disgraced musician was stabbed to death inside his cell at the high-security HMP Wakefield on October 11 of last year.
The two defendants, 25-year-old Rico Gedel and 44-year-old Samuel Dodsworth, both pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and unauthorized possession of a knife in prison. Following the discharge of the jury at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, the court confirmed that a re-trial has been provisionally scheduled for February 8 of next year.
Addressing the jury regarding the difficult decision to halt the proceedings, Mr Justice Hilliard provided the following statement (via BBC):
“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.”
During the course of the trial, prosecutors presented evidence detailing the morning of the attack. At approximately 9:20 a.m. BST, less than twenty minutes after the morning cell unlock, Rico Gedel allegedly entered the singer’s cell. He then reportedly carried out a fatal assault, striking Ian Watkins in the head and neck using a makeshift weapon constructed from a blade taped heavily to a piece of plastic cutlery.
According to CCTV footage presented in court, Rico Gedel was seen exiting the cell and passing the weapon to Samuel Dodsworth. The second inmate then allegedly wrapped the weapon in tissue paper and discarded it in a nearby bin. Prosecutors argued this action made both men guilty of murder, asserting that Samuel Dodsworth knew the attack was planned and actively assisted in the aftermath.
Following the attack, Rico Gedel reportedly offered no resistance to officers. As he was escorted past the cell where Ian Watkins was receiving medical attention, he allegedly remarked: “Have a good night’s sleep, Watkins lad.” Staff monitoring him through his cell door hatch noted his notably upbeat manner in the aftermath of the incident.
The prosecutor detailed to the jury that Rico Gedel discussed his original offense with one officer, stating words to the effect of: “If I’m going to do life for murder, I’m going to make sure it’s worth it.” He also allegedly boasted: “If I’ve killed him, you could be talking to someone famous.”
In his defense testimony, Rico Gedel claimed he harbored extreme hatred toward being housed alongside sex offenders at the Wakefield facility. He testified that he had previously threatened to attack “any number of pa**ophiles” if the prison administration did not transfer him. He stated that Ian Watkins was targeted primarily out of convenience and proximity, as the two had been placed in adjacent cells just the night before following an incident where Rico Gedel assaulted three other inmates on a different wing.
Conversely, Samuel Dodsworth, who is currently serving a sentence for r*pe, maintained that he had no prior knowledge of the attack and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He claimed that the weapon was unexpectedly handed to him, and in a moment of panic after seeing the severely injured victim, he threw it away.
Ian Watkins, originally from Pontypridd, was serving a 29-year prison sentence handed down in December 2013 after he pleaded guilty to a horrific string of child sex offenses, which included the attempted rape of a fan’s baby. During the historic 2013 sentencing, the presiding judge, Mr Justice Royce, noted that the case broke “new ground” and had “plunged into new depths of depravity”. The two mothers of the abused children, who acted as co-defendants, received sentences of 14 and 17 years.
In the immediate wake of the singer’s 2013 arrest and the shocking public revelations of his crimes, the remaining members of Lostprophets released a definitive statement confirming the immediate and permanent disbandment of the rock group.
