Overview

• West Yorkshire Police said staff reported an assault at 9:39 a.m. and a man was pronounced dead at the scene at HMP Wakefield.
• Multiple outlets identify the deceased as Ian Watkins, 48, who was serving a 29-year sentence with a further six years on licence for child sex offences after 2013 guilty pleas.
• Sources report he was attacked with a knife, though police have not publicly named a suspect as inquiries by the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team continue.
• The Prison Service confirmed an incident and declined further comment pending the police investigation, with reports of a lockdown at the Category A facility.
• Watkins had previously been attacked at the same prison in 2023, when he was taken hostage and suffered non–life-threatening injuries.