In a court testimony, it was revealed that the inmate charged with the murder of Ian Watkins, the disgraced singer from Lostprophets, callously remarked “have a good night’s sleep, Watkins lad” after allegedly carrying out a fatal stabbing.
Witnesses were presented with footage from body-worn cameras at HMP Wakefield, showing Rico Gedel, 25, apparently making the chilling statement as he walked past Watkins’ cell, where the convicted sex offender was attacked and killed on October 11 last year.
Watkins, who was serving a lengthy sentence for child abuse crimes, was fatally wounded inside his cell.
During questioning by authorities regarding the incident, Gedel was reported to have shown a disturbing lack of remorse, finding the situation amusing, according to previous court accounts.
At the trial’s commencement, prosecutor Tom Storey KC detailed how Gedel was escorted back to his cell on the second floor, passing by Watkins’ open cell door where he callously uttered the words ‘have a good night’s sleep, Watkins lad’ while prison officers were still attending to the victim.
Following the incident, Gedel was described as appearing smug and smirking by prison officers, as per testimony at Leeds Crown Court.
Before the attack, Gedel had expressed discontent about a wing transfer and had even made threats of causing trouble to be moved to segregation. Allegedly, he entered Watkins’ cell and used a homemade weapon to fatally injure him.
Both Gedel and another inmate, Samuel Dodsworth, 44, have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and possession of a makeshift weapon within the prison premises.
Testifying at the trial, Adam Laycock recalled moving Gedel to a different wing the day before the incident, mentioning Gedel’s resistance to the move and his threats of causing trouble.
Justin Barrett, a prison officer, also testified that Gedel had expressed discontent before the incident and had made statements indicating his intentions to be moved to segregation.
Additional testimony from officers who conducted searches on Gedel after the incident revealed his nonchalant attitude and disturbing comments, further implicating him in the assault.
Ian Watkins had been serving a lengthy prison sentence since 2013 for various sexual offenses, with the trial ongoing to uncover further details of the tragic event.
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