The high-security corridors of HMP Wakefield, often known by its grim nickname "Monster Mansion," have once again become the center of national attention after the violent death of disgraced rock star Ian Watkins. On October 11, 2025, Watkins, the former frontman of Lostprophets and a convicted child sex offender, was stabbed in the neck and died from blood loss inside the notorious prison. The incident has sent shockwaves through both the criminal justice system and the public, reopening conversations about prison safety, notorious inmates, and the enduring legacy of Watkins' crimes.
Two fellow inmates, Samuel Dodsworth, 43, and Rashid (also known as Rico) Gedel, 25, have been charged with Watkins' murder. According to BBC News, Dodsworth appeared via video link from HMP Wakefield at Leeds Crown Court on November 12, 2025, to face charges of murder and possession of a makeshift knife inside the prison. He pleaded not guilty to both charges. Gedel, meanwhile, refused to attend the hearing via video link, expressing his wish to appear in person before the court. No plea was entered on his behalf during this initial appearance.
Judge Guy Kearl KC, presiding over the hearing, scheduled the next court date for December 2, 2025, with a full trial set to begin on May 5, 2026. The trial is expected to last up to four weeks. As Metro reported, the court was told that Gedel had refused to leave his cell at HMP Long Lartin, citing his preference for a physical appearance in court rather than a remote one. The judge confirmed that both men would stand trial together, and the criminal process would take precedence over the ongoing inquest into Watkins’ death.
Watkins, who was 48 at the time of his death, had been serving a 29-year sentence, with a further six years on license, for a string of child sex offences that included the attempted rape of a baby. His 2013 conviction followed a police raid on his Pontypridd home in September 2012, originally executed on suspicion of drug offences. The raid led to the seizure of computers, mobile phones, and storage devices, which, upon forensic analysis, revealed the full extent of Watkins’ depravity. The judge at his sentencing, Mr Justice Royce, described the case as one that “broke new ground” and “plunged into new depths of depravity.” According to ITV News, the judge told the court, “Any decent person... will experience shock, revulsion and incredulity.”
During his time as the lead singer of Lostprophets, Watkins achieved significant fame, with the band scoring 11 top 40 UK hits and a chart-topping album in the 2000s. However, his notoriety quickly turned to infamy after his crimes came to light. Prosecutors at his trial described him as a man corrupted by fame, drugs, and power, who used his status to manipulate and abuse others, often under the influence of hard drugs like crystal meth. As BBC News noted, Watkins admitted to the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13, and conspiring to rape a child, among other charges. He pleaded not guilty to rape but admitted to a host of other serious offences, including making and possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images involving animals.
The impact of Watkins’ crimes reverberated far beyond the courtroom. His conviction led to the immediate disbandment of Lostprophets, once one of Wales’ most recognized music exports. Des Mannion, NSPCC national head of service for Wales, commented after sentencing, “Watkins used his status and global fame as a means to manipulate people and sexually abuse children. But we must nevertheless remember that this case isn't about celebrity, it's about victims. And those victims are children.”
Watkins’ time in prison was marked by violence and notoriety. In August 2023, he was reportedly taken hostage and stabbed by fellow inmates at HMP Wakefield, only to be freed by officers after six hours. His injuries at that time were not life-threatening, but the incident underscored the risks faced by high-profile sex offenders in custody. In 2019, Watkins received an additional 10-month sentence after being found guilty of possessing a mobile phone in prison—an offence that further highlighted ongoing security challenges within the institution.
The circumstances of Watkins’ death have prompted renewed scrutiny of conditions at HMP Wakefield. Just two weeks before the fatal attack, a report from the chief inspector of prisons found that violence at the facility had "increased markedly." The report noted that "many prisoners told us they felt unsafe, particularly older men convicted of sexual offences who increasingly shared the prison with a growing cohort of younger prisoners." This environment, fraught with tension and danger, likely contributed to the events that led to Watkins’ demise.
Area coroner Oliver Longstaff, opening the inquest into Watkins’ death, stated, “Ian David Karslake Watkins was born on 30th July 1977 in Wales. He was a single gentleman at the time of his death, a serving prisoner at HMP Wakefield where Mr Watkins was pronounced deceased on the 11th October 2025 by an attending doctor.” The coroner confirmed that a forensic post-mortem gave a provisional cause of death as an incision wound to the neck. He also emphasized that, as the death occurred in state detention and was considered unnatural, an inquest was necessary—but it would be adjourned pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings against Dodsworth and Gedel.
Despite the notoriety of Watkins’ crimes, the case has reignited debates about justice, retribution, and the safety of inmates—regardless of their offences. Some have argued that the prison system must do more to protect vulnerable prisoners, even those convicted of the most heinous crimes. Others, recalling the horror of Watkins’ actions, have expressed little sympathy for his fate. The trial of Dodsworth and Gedel, set for next spring, is expected to draw significant public and media attention as it unfolds.
For now, the death of Ian Watkins marks a grim chapter in the history of HMP Wakefield and a sobering reminder of the complex moral and security challenges facing the UK’s prison system. The coming months will determine whether justice is served for the killing of a man whose own crimes shocked the nation and left a legacy of pain for his victims and their families.
