Overview

• West Yorkshire Police said prison staff reported an assault at HMP Wakefield around 9:39 a.m. Saturday and the inmate was declared dead at the scene.
• Police confirmed that two men, aged 25 and 43, were arrested on suspicion of murder and are in custody.
• Sources cited by multiple outlets reported Watkins was attacked with a knife inside the maximum-security facility.
• Watkins had been serving a 29-year sentence imposed in 2013 for multiple offenses against children, including the attempted rape of a baby, with a further six years on licence.
• In 2023 he survived a separate attack in the same prison, a prior incident that has renewed scrutiny of safety for high-risk inmates at HMP Wakefield.