Pedophile Rock Star Murdered in Prison

Former Lostprophets singer was serving 29-year sentence for child sex offenses
Posted Oct 13, 2025 11:41 AM CDT
Disgraced Rock Star Murdered in Prison
Ian Watkins at V Music Festival in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, England, on Aug 20, 2011.   (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File)

Two men have been charged with murdering Ian Watkins, the disgraced former frontman of rock band Lostprophets, who died following an attack inside Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire, England, over the weekend. Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, allegedly stabbed Ian Watkins in an ambush Saturday morning, the Telegraph reports. Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year sentence for a series of deeply disturbing child sex offenses, including the attempted rape of a baby, reports the BBC. He was jailed in 2013 after admitting to numerous sexual assaults involving children, conspiracy to rape, and possession of indecent images.

The judge at Watkins' sentencing described the crimes as unprecedented in their depravity. Judge John Royce said Watkins induced young female fans to satisfy his "apparently insatiable lust and to take part in the sexual abuse of their young children," the New York Times reports. The mothers of two of the children Watkins abused were sentenced to 14 and 17 years.

The band, formed in Pontypridd, Wales, in 1997, was once a fixture on the UK charts. They immediately disbanded after Watkins' conviction and his former bandmates have strongly condemned his actions, saying they were "heartbroken, angry, and disgusted." Watkins was stabbed during a previous prison attack in 2023. Wakefield Prison, sometimes called "Monster Mansion," is known for housing some of the UK's most notorious offenders. A recent report found that serious assaults had risen 72% since the previous inspection in 2022, per the Guardian.

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