Ian Watkins, the former lead singer of Welsh rock band Lostprophets, died Saturday morning after being attacked with a knife by fellow inmates at HMP Wakefield prison in West Yorkshire, England. The 48-year-old musician was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offenses when he was fatally stabbed on October 11, 2025.
Emergency services were called to the high-security prison at 9:39 a.m. after staff reported an assault on a prisoner. Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after authorities arrived. West Yorkshire Police confirmed that two men, ages 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the attack.
The suspects, identified as Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, appeared separately at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning. Both men spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth during the brief hearings. They have been remanded in custody and are scheduled to appear before Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, with no pleas entered during the initial court proceedings.
According to reports, Watkins’ attacker slashed the singer’s jugular, causing him to die from blood loss. Prison sources indicated that guards were nearby and responded quickly to the incident, but were unable to save Watkins. The prison went into immediate lockdown following the assault.
This was not Watkins’ first violent encounter behind bars. In August 2023, he was attacked at the same prison by three inmates who held him hostage for six hours before he was freed by prison officers. That previous assault left him with neck injuries that required medical attention, though the injuries were not life-threatening.
Watkins was convicted in December 2013 after pleading guilty to 13 horrific charges involving child exploitation and sexual abuse. His crimes included attempted rape of a baby, sexually touching a one-year-old child, encouraging fans to abuse their children, and making child pornography. He also conspired to rape children and possessed extreme pornographic images involving animals.
During his sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge John Royce described the case as breaking new ground and plunging into new depths of depravity. The judge characterized Watkins as a dangerous sexual predator who had abused his fame to satisfy what he termed an insatiable lust. Royce stated, “This case, however, breaks new ground.”
Two mothers of children Watkins abused were also convicted and sentenced to 14 and 17 years in prison respectively. Prosecutors described Watkins as a man corrupted by fame, drugs, and power who used his celebrity status to manipulate and control others, often while under the influence of crystal methamphetamine.
Watkins was initially arrested in September 2012 after police executed a drug warrant at his Pontypridd home. During the search, authorities seized numerous computers, mobile phones, and storage devices that contained damning evidence of his crimes, including text messages and images that corroborated claims of extreme sexual violence against children.
Lostprophets, formed in Pontypridd in 1997, became one of Britain’s biggest rock bands during the 2000s. The group achieved 11 top 40 hits and a number one album between 2002 and 2010, with their third album “Liberation Transmission” topping UK charts in 2006. The band sold millions of albums worldwide before disbanding immediately after Watkins’ conviction.
Following Watkins’ sentencing, the remaining band members released a statement expressing that they were heartbroken, angry, and disgusted by his crimes. They emphasized that their hearts went out to his victims and distanced themselves completely from their former frontman.
HMP Wakefield, where the fatal attack occurred, houses more than 600 of Britain’s most dangerous criminals, including notorious offenders like Roy Whiting and Reynhard Sinaga. A recent inspection report noted that violence at the facility had increased markedly since 2022, with the prison’s infrastructure described as being in poor condition with repeated equipment breakdowns and compromised perimeter security systems.
After his 2013 conviction, Watkins attempted to appeal his sentence in 2014 but was denied by UK courts. During a 2019 court appearance when he was caught with a mobile phone in prison, he complained about being incarcerated with murderers, rapists, and serial killers, describing them as the worst of the worst.
