Prisoner told Ian Watkins 'this is what paedophiles deserve' after slashing Lostprophet frontman's throat with a makeshift blade, court hears

By JOHN SIDDLE and TOM LAWRENCE, NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:29, 13 May 2026 | Updated: 20:35, 13 May 2026 A prisoner accused of murdering Ian Watkins told the Lostprophets singer 'this is what paedophiles deserve' as he slashed his throat with a makeshift blade, a court has heard. Rico Gedel, 25, said he could 'not cope' with being housed around sex offenders and admitted to attacking Watkins, but denied intending to murder him. He told Leeds Crown Court that he 'slashed' the neck of the paedophile in a 20-second attack at maximum-security HMP Wakefield, where Watkins was serving a 35-year sentence for a string of horrific child sex offences. The depraved frontman suffered catastrophic blood loss after suffering three wounds to his face and neck on October 11 last year, one of which severed his left jugular vein. Gedel, on trial alongside his fellow serving prisoner Samuel Dodsworth, 44, today admitted killing Watkins but denied intending to murder him. Giving evidence, he said: 'There's no easy way to say it. 'I stabbed him in his neck, slashed him. It wasn’t a poking motion. It was a slashing motion. 'I slashed his throat. Blood immediately didn't come out. So I slashed his ear. But I didn't think I got his ear, I think I got his cheek. 'Then I think I got his neck. So I slashed him again and that's when he started bleeding.' Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was murdered in a 20-second prison cell knife attack by a fellow inmate Asked if he said anything to Watkins during the attack, Gedel replied: 'This is what paedophiles deserve.' 'I don't think [Watkins] could speak. It was like a mumbled scream, saying 'help'. Gedel, who was serving a life sentence for murder, told jurors that he stabbed Watkins in a bid to move from the prison's B Wing into a segregation unit because he could not be around sex offenders 'personally and morally'. He claimed he was 'set up' by prison officers who moved him into the cell next door to Watkins the day before the attack, despite allegedly knowing of his 'disgust' for sex offenders. He told jurors he had repeatedly warned staff he could not cope being housed near sex offenders, and claimed officers knew he was likely to commit violence if he was not moved. Gedel said: 'The prison officers knew. I told them my disgust of sex offenders. 'I told them I can't be in this prison because I don't know how long I'm going to last. 'So I knew it was a set up because they knew how I felt about being in that prison.' Prosecutors say it was 'entirely coincidental' that Gedel was moved next door to Watkins' cell the day before the attack. He told jurors he had been on a different wing at Wakefield but was moved after attacking three sex offenders, including one he claimed was 'selling baby photos and boasting about being a sex offender'. Rico Gedel, 25, is on trial accused of murdering Ian Watkins at Wakefield prison in October 2025 Gedel told jurors: 'It was all a set up. They knew how I felt about sex offenders. 'I'm not here to prove my innocence, I admit to what happened. 'I take full responsibility for what happened, whether it was the intent or not. 'But the prison officers are as much to blame as I am.' Gedel said he had asked for a weapon because he believed violence was the only way to get off the wing. Asked why Watkins became the target, Gedel said the former singer entered his thoughts because of 'postcode proximity'. He said the pair had traded abuse through the dividing wall between their cells, with Watkins using racial slurs. Gedel admitted calling him a 'scumbag and a paedophile'. Gedel claimed to have been handed the weapon by Dodsworth, 44, who denies murder. Watkins was declared dead on the prison landing less than an hour after the 9.19am attack. Jurors had been told that Watkins’ convictions for child sex offences meant he was a constant target for other prisoners, some of whom believed prison was 'too good' for him. When Gedel was taken past Watkins’ open cell door while emergency treatment was under way, he allegedly said: 'Have a good night’s sleep, Watkins lad.' Gedel also appeared to find the situation 'amusing', the court previously heard, and was later described as 'perky' while under observation from prison guards. He is also alleged to have told one officer: 'If I’ve killed him, you could be talking to someone famous.' Gedel, who told how he entered the care system aged three and dealt drugs in West London from the age of 11, told how sex offences 'make me feel disgusted'. He added: 'No human should inflict such pain on anyone, whether they be male or female. 'It's not something that heals overnight. It's trauma that people live with for the rest of their lives.' Rico Gedel (left) pictured walking away from Ian Watkins' cell after he was attacked at HMP Wakefield After being arrested, he told police that 'God' had inflicted the injuries on Watkins, adding that he was jealous of 'nonce prisoners' because they were treated 'like royalty'. Gedel, jurors previously heard, was a 'basic prisoner', meaning he was allowed out of his cell for only 30 minutes on Saturday mornings. Prosecutor Tom Storey, KC, told jurors how Watkins was a target for those who believed 'imprisonment is somehow too good' for child sex offenders. 'There are some criminal offences which are so heinous that they defy belief, these include the more extreme examples of child sex offences. 'There are those who perhaps believe that the punishments meted out by our courts upon people who commit such offences do not go far enough. 'But we have not had the death penalty in this country since 1965, and when we did, it was reserved for offences of murder and treason.' He added: 'Nevertheless, because of the particular stigma which attaches to those who commit child sex offences, even when they are sentenced to decades in prison for their crimes, they remain targets for those who take the view that their punishment is not severe enough, that imprisonment is somehow too good for them. 'And on occasion, some people decide simply to take the law into their own hands and to enact their own form of punishment upon such offenders.' Jurors were told of Watkins' last hours inside the category-A prison in West Yorkshire, nicknamed 'Monster Mansion' because of the dangerous and high-profile criminals it houses. Watkins was attacked a day after receiving two notes accusing him of getting another prisoner removed from the wing, demanding money and threatening violence, the court heard. That same evening, Gedel was placed in a cell directly next door to Watkins, having been moved from a different wing. The following morning, officers began unlocking cells shortly after 9am, with Watkins remaining inside his cell. Mr Storey said he would have known he had only a short window 'to do what he planned to do that morning'. CCTV footage captured Gedel entering Watkins' cell at 9.19am before leaving 20 seconds later. Mr Storey said: 'The CCTV footage shows Ian Watkins emerging briefly from his cell at the same time as two workmen, who were carrying out maintenance in the prison were walking towards him along the landing. 'And the footage clearly shows blood visible on the neck of the t-shirt he was wearing. 'The workmen noticed Watkins emerging from his cell. 'They saw that he was holding his hand to his neck, and was obviously bleeding from a wound. 'The workmen immediately signalled for staff assistance, and three prison officers who had been outside an office further along the landing ran towards Watkins' cell.' When a prison officer who provided first aid to Watkins asked who was responsible for the attack, he replied: 'That little black fella.' Shortly afterwards, Watkins went into cardiac arrest and he lost consciousness. Meanwhile, Gedel was detained by guards and taken back to his cell, passing Watkins' open cell door as emergency treatment was underway. As he walked past, Gedel allegedly remarked: 'Have a good night's sleep, Watkins lad.' He was said to have found 'the situation amusing', the court was told. Samuel Dodsworth, 44, is alleged to have acted as a 'look-out' and disposed of the murder weapon in a bin Mr Storey told jurors: 'Whilst the prosecution cannot say precisely what happened in Watkins' cell during the 20 seconds that Gedel was inside it, it is clear given what happened that during that short window of time, Gedel had attacked Watkins with a home-made bladed weapon. 'In the course, inflicting three wounds to his head and neck, one of which was particularly severe in nature.' Dodsworth is alleged to have acted as a 'look-out' for Gedel and disposed of the murder weapon - a Stanley knife-type blade fixed into blue plastic, with multiple layers of Sellotape wound around it - in a bin. After Watkins was declared dead on a prison landing, less than an hour after being attacked, police launched a murder investigation. Gedel was placed under constant observation through the hatch in his cell door. He is said to have told one guard: 'If I'm going to do life for murder, I'm going to make sure it's worth it.' Both defendants were arrested and taken to separate police stations. In the interview, Gedel initially answered 'no comment' before stating how he was jealous of 'nonce prisoners' because they were treated 'like royalty'. When asked who had caused Watkins' injuries, Gedel replied: 'God'. He denied having any knowledge about the threatening notes received by Watkins. Dodsworth denies knowing about the attack in advance and denies helping to plan or carry it out. He said he 'panicked' after being given the weapon and tried to hand it back. The court heard how Watkins was slashed three times, with a 10.5cm-long cut to the left side of his neck proving fatal. Mr Storey said: 'This injury to his jugular vein would have caused significant external bleeding, which was the most likely cause of Ian Watkins' death.' Gedel's trainers and tracksuit bottoms were found to be blood-stained, the court was told, with samples matching Watkins' DNA profile. Mr Storey told the jury: 'Whatever view you may take of those who commit even the most heinous criminal offences, that provides no legal justification whatsoever for taking another's life in the way that occurred in this case. 'Ultimately, what the prosecution say is that it is clear on the evidence that Rico Gedel carried out the attack upon Ian Watkins, inflicting those fatal injuries upon him using that home-made knife. 'And that is equally clear Samuel Dodsworth encouraged and assisted him in that enterprise.' Ian Watkins (left, partially hidden) looking out from his cell after he was attacked at HMP Wakefield The court also previously heard from prison staff about Gedel's reaction to the attack. Prison officer Adam Laycock, who had helped move Gedel to B Wing the day before Watkins was killed, described him as appearing 'smug' after the attack. Mr Laycock's statement, read to jurors by prosecutor Chris Rose, said: '(Gedel) didn't want to move wings. He had mentioned a number of times that if he was moved he would do something. 'Often this is the kind of threat prisoners make and often they do nothing to carry it out. 'I knew Gedel would rather go to segregation than be moved to somewhere he didn't want to be.' Mr Laycock said he rushed to B wing on the day of Watkins' death after hearing a 'code red' called, and saw Gedel being escorted by officers. 'I noticed Gedel was looking somewhat smug, and seemed to have a smirk on his face,' his statement read. Another prison officer from A wing, Justin Barrett, said he saw Gedel being restrained after the 'code red'. He said: 'I wasn't shocked to see it was him. He had not been happy about the move from A to B wing. 'I heard him say he would do something to get moved to segregation.' Jurors also heard statements from several officers who searched Gedel when he was moved to his cell after the incident. Patrick Wilson, who was part of the jail's dedicated search team (DST), said Gedel was laughing as he entered the cell, and responded 'I used my hands,' when asked where the weapon was. Mr Wilson said: 'He kept laughing, saying things like: 'You guys are DST, this should be the highlight of the day'.' Another officer, Anthony Whiteside, told jurors he entered Gedel's cell to ask him where the weapon was. He said Gedel replied with words to the effect of: 'You'll never find it.' Mr Whiteside added that Gedel also said phrases including 'I hope he sleeps' and 'I hope he goes to sleep'. 'I knew what he meant by saying it and that he was referring to Ian,' the officer said. Mr Whiteside added: 'Throughout the time in the cell I would describe Gedel as calm and cold. Gedel did not seem bothered about what had occurred.' In further bodycam footage, Gedel was asked by an officer: 'Why him?' Laughing, he replied: 'I don't know. Life is life. Some people live, some people die.' Officer Andrew Chaplin, who monitored Gedel in his cell after the attack, said the prisoner appeared 'really perky' and spoke casually about football and rugby. He said: 'It was like he didn't care what he had just done. 'He was even commenting on my smile, saying it was lovely, which I thought was odd.' Mr Chaplin continued in his statement: '[Gedel] spoke about his original crime that he was in HMP Wakefield for. 'He stated that he hadn't committed the murder, that there was three of them, but he hadn't had the knife. 'Going on to say, words to the effect of, 'If I'm going to do life for murder, I'm going to make sure it's worth it'. 'I asked him if he hand-picked Watkins, and that I wasn't police, so he could tell me. 'Gedel nodded towards my camera to sort of indicate that he knew it was all being recorded, so he wouldn't talk fully. 'He went on to say words to the effect of 'if I've killed him, you could be talking to someone famous'. Watkins, from Pontypridd, South Wales, was handed consecutive 14-year and 15-year jail terms in 2013 for engaging in sexual activity with a child and the attempted rape of an 11-month-old baby. The disgraced singer was also convicted of 11 other offences at Cardiff Crown Court, with those sentences running alongside his 29-year term. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.