Overview

• West Yorkshire Police said they were called at 9:39 a.m. to HMP Wakefield to reports of an assault on a prisoner, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
• Detectives from the force’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating, with inquiries continuing at the prison.
• The Prison Service said it could not comment further during the police investigation, and multiple outlets reported the jail was placed in lockdown after the attack.
• Several outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported Watkins was attacked with a knife and that two men were arrested on suspicion of murder, though police have not publicly detailed arrests or suspects.
• Watkins, 48, was serving 29 years in custody with a further six years on licence for multiple child sex offences, and he had previously been taken hostage and stabbed at the same prison in 2023 without life‑threatening injuries.