Ian Watkins was ‘dead man walking’ in prison and ‘abused every day’ before murder

Lostprophets paedophile Ian Watkins was a “dead man walking” in HMP Wakefield, where he was murdered, a former prisoner has said, as two men have been charged with his murder

Lostprophets paedophile Ian Watkins was always a “dead man walking” at HMP Wakefield, a former prisoner said. Convicts at the Category A men’s jail were aware that Watkins, 48, had been locked up for child sex crimes, including the attempted rape of a baby, and allegedly made him a marked man.

The disgraced frontman had reportedly suffered previous attacks since receiving his 29-year sentence in December 2013. On Saturday morning, the paedophile was declared dead following an assault at the West Yorkshire prison.

Two inmates – Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both from HMP Wakefield – have been charged with Watkins’ murder, reports the Mirror.

A former inmate revealed last night: “Watkins was effectively a dead man walking from the moment he arrived in Wakefield. There is an unwritten rule that you don’t ask people what crime they did, but everyone knew that Watkins attempted to rape a baby.

“He had been attacked before and was abused every day. He was a loner, self-centred and remorseless. He had no real friends and spent a lot of time on his own in his room.”

Gedel and Dodsworth appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Neither entered pleas nor sought bail.

They are scheduled to appear at Leeds Crown Court today. HMP Wakefield, a high-security prison housing over 600 inmates including numerous sexual offenders, is a volatile mix according to a prison officer.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the officer said: “There are so many sex offenders in Wakefield, along with some of the most violent people in the country. It’s a very dangerous mix.

“From date rape convicts to prolific child abusers beyond rehabilitation, they’re all mixing with violent criminals, murderers and gangsters.”

The partner of an inmate told the same paper: “He said that there was cheering when word spread that Watkins had been killed. All of the prisoners were locked in their cells, but word spread quickly. He was hated because his crimes were so sick.”

A source also revealed that staffing levels are typically low at the dilapidated HMP Wakefield, set against the dreary backdrop of Victorian-era buildings. Child murderers Roy Whiting and Mark Bridger, as well as Jeremy Bamber, who slaughtered five family members at White House Farm in Essex in 1985, are among those incarcerated here.

Watkins, a native of Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, was charged with child sex offences in December 2012. His barrister stated that the musician had no memory of the attempted rape case, but had “belatedly realised the gravity of what happened” after developing an “obsession” with filming himself during sex.

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