Overview

• Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, have been charged with murdering Ian Watkins at HMP Wakefield after a serious assault on October 11.
• At Leeds Crown Court, Gedel refused to attend via video link while Dodsworth appeared remotely; both were remanded, with a plea hearing on November 12 and a provisional trial set for May 5.
• West Yorkshire Police said Watkins, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene following the attack, and the homicide investigation continues.
• Watkins was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby, after his 2013 conviction.
• Reports from former inmates and past police statements note he had been attacked in custody in 2023 and was widely targeted, while a related co-defendant known as 'Woman B' is undergoing a routine Parole Board review.