Warning: This article contains graphic content.
CCTV footage shown to a jury at Leeds Crown Court captures the moment former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins emerged from his prison cell with his throat slashed, covered in blood. The video was released after being presented as evidence in the murder trial of Rico Gedel and Samuel Dodsworth, who are accused of killing Watkins at HMP Wakefield last October.
Watkins, 47, was serving a 29-year sentence with an additional six years on licence after pleading guilty in December 2013 to a series of sexual offences, including the attempted rape of a fan's baby. He was arrested in September 2012 following a drugs warrant at his Pontypridd home, which led to the seizure of computers, phones, and storage devices that revealed his depraved behaviour.
The footage shows Watkins, dressed in a denim shirt, staggering onto the landing. Two workmen nearby noticed him, with one pointing as Watkins held a hand to his throat before disappearing from view. A prison officer later testified that he saw the gesture and alerted colleagues, who rushed to help.
Prosecutor Tom Storey KC told the jury that Rico Gedel, 25, also known as Rashid, carried out the attack using a makeshift blade fashioned from a Stanley knife. Samuel Dodsworth, 43, is accused of keeping watch and disposing of the weapon in a bin on B wing. Both men deny murder and possession of a bladed article in prison.
When asked about his attacker, Watkins told officers: "The little black fella." Two officers were then dispatched to locate Gedel. Watkins later went into cardiac arrest and died despite CPR attempts. Gedel was subsequently detained after attacking another inmate.
The trial continues.
