The jury in the trial of two prisoners accused of killing Ian Watkins, the former vocalist of Lostprophets, has been dismissed due to legal reasons.
Rico Gedel, aged 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, aged 44, were facing trial at Leeds Crown Court for the murder of Watkins. Watkins, aged 48, was fatally stabbed by Gedel while in his cell at HMP Wakefield, a high-security prison where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offenses.
During the trial, it was revealed that Gedel handed the makeshift knife to Dodsworth after leaving Watkins’ cell, and Dodsworth disposed of it in a bin. Both defendants denied the charges of murdering Watkins and possessing a knife in prison.
On Friday, the presiding judge, Mr. Justice Hilliard, made the decision to discharge the jury, explaining that the case would need to be retried. Gedel expressed his dislike for being housed with sex offenders at Wakefield and stated that he had threatened to harm “any number of paedophiles” if he was not relocated.
Gedel admitted that he had an urge to harm Watkins, citing their close proximity in the prison cell as a factor. However, he mentioned conflicting feelings, stating that what his heart desired was not always aligned with his rational thoughts.
Prosecutors argued that both Gedel and Dodsworth were complicit in the murder, with Dodsworth allegedly being aware of the impending attack and assisting Gedel by getting rid of the knife. Dodsworth, currently serving a sentence for rape, claimed he was not involved in the assault and had only panicked and disposed of the knife after witnessing Watkins’ injuries.
Ian Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison in December 2013, with an additional six years on license, following his admission of multiple sexual offenses, including the attempted rape of a fan’s infant.