Paedophile Lostprophets star Ian Watkins died from stab wound to the neck, inquest told
Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins died from a stab wound to the neck, an inquest opening has heard.
Disgraced rock star Watkins, 48, died after an alleged attack at HMP Wakefield, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences, including conspiring to rape an 11-month-old baby and three counts of sexual assault involving children.
On Friday an inquest into Watkins’ death was opened and adjourned at Wakefield Coroner’s Court.
Coroner Oliver Longstaff said Watkins, who was referred to by his full name of Ian David Karslake Watkins during the brief hearing, was pronounced dead at the West Yorkshire jail on October 11 by an attending doctor, and was formally identified by a prison officer.
Mr Longstaff said paramedics were called to the prison, where Watkins was a serving prisoner, ‘following a report he had been stabbed in the neck’.
The coroner said a post-mortem report gave the cause of death as an incision to the neck.
He said other prisoners had been charged with murder and the coroner’s investigation would be suspended ‘pending the outcome of the criminal justice process’.
Mr Longstaff said: ‘Whether an inquest into the death requires to be resumed following the conclusion of that criminal process is a matter of complete speculation and remains to be seen.’
The inquest heard Watkins was born in Wales in 1977.
Inmates Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, have been charged with murdering Watkins.
This week West Yorkshire Police said two more men from the prison had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
The men, aged 23 and 39, were bailed and returned to prison while inquiries continue.
Gedel, who was referred to as Rico Gedel in court, and Dodsworth appeared in court last week charged with murder but were not asked to enter pleas.
Dodsworth appeared via video link from HMP Wakefield but Leeds Crown Court heard Gedel had refused to attend remotely as he wanted to appear in person.
Judge Guy Kearl, the Recorder of Leeds, set a provisional date of May 5 for the trial, which is expected to take two to three weeks.
Watkins was jailed for 29 years in December 2013, with a further six years on licence, after admitting a string of sex offences – including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
The disgraced singer was arrested following the execution of a drugs warrant at his Pontypridd home on September 21, 2012, when a large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized.
Analysis of the equipment uncovered Watkins’ depraved behaviour.
Ahead of the conclusion of his trial, Lostprophets, which was founded in 1997 by Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze, cancelled all their shows and disbanded.
Speaking earlier this year, co-founder Gaze, 50, addressed the way the band ended for the first time, calling them the ‘most unimaginable circumstances’ that are ‘still painful to think about’.
‘Things could’ve been so different,’ he added online.
‘I don’t talk about it much, but I put everything into that band, and it should’ve lasted a lifetime. I never really wronged anyone my whole life, so it seemed like the ultimate punishment.’
In the wake of Watkins death, he wrote on X that it was ‘onwards and upwards’ and that ‘music is what keeps us sane’.
The group had a big cult following, with Watkins using his status in the band to prey on fans, with two offering up their babies to be abused.
In court, the ex-musician was described as ‘a determined and committed paedophile’, and Lord Justice Christopher Pitchford said his acts were ‘shocking’.
Watkins also had two co-defendants, who were fans of his and mothers of his victims. They received sentences of 14 and 17 years.
In 2014, Watkins was refused the right to appeal against his sentence.
Watkins was previously taken to hospital after being attacked in 2023. At the time, police said his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
A source told the Mirror he had been taken hostage by three other inmates.
In 2019 he was jailed for 10 months on top of the sentence he was serving for child sex offences after he was found guilty of possessing a mobile phone in prison.
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