Rashid Gedel, 25, one of the two inmates charged with the murder of former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins at HMP Wakefield, did not participate in his initial Crown Court appearance via video link from the prison. The other accused, Samuel Dodsworth, 43, stood accused of the same offense following an alleged incident on a Saturday morning, leading to the death of Watkins, 48, who was serving a lengthy sentence for child sex crimes.
During the scheduled Crown Court hearing on Tuesday, Dodsworth appeared remotely from HMP Wakefield, while Gedel opted out of attending via video link, expressing a preference for an in-person appearance. No requests for bail were made during the proceedings, and both men were ordered to remain in custody until their next court date set for November 12, which will involve plea and trial preparation discussions.
Judge Guy Kearl, the Recorder of Leeds, tentatively scheduled the trial to commence on May 5, expected to last two to three weeks. Authorities disclosed that Gedel identifies as having a black background, while Dodsworth identifies as white British. The police formally charged the two individuals on Monday.
Ian Watkins faced a 29-year prison term from December 2013 onwards, with an additional six-year license period, after admitting to multiple sexual offenses, including a heinous attempted assault on an infant fan. Watkins had previously encountered violence in 2023 but survived non-life-threatening injuries. In a separate incident in 2019, he received an additional 10-month sentence for possessing a mobile phone in prison, which he claimed was coerced by fellow inmates seeking financial gain through contacting his fan mail correspondents. Watkins had been barred from appealing his lengthy jail sentence in 2014.
