Inmate accused of killing paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins in fatal knife attack told police prison was a ‘dog-eat-dog world’, court hears

A prisoner accused of murdering pedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins told police ‘prison is a dog-eat-dog world’ and that he was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ when the disgraced rock star was murdered.

The disgraced frontman, who is serving a 35-year prison sentence for a string of horrific child sexual offences, was attacked with a makeshift knife in his cell inside maximum security HMP Wakefield on October 11, 2025.

One of the three slash wounds on his face and neck severed his carotid artery and voice box, causing catastrophic blood loss.

Prisoner Rico Gedel, 25, is accused of murdering the singer, along with 44-year-old ‘lookout’ Samuel Dodsworth, who allegedly destroyed the gun. Both deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife in prison.

Leeds Crown Court heard that when questioned by police, Dodsworth said prison was a “dog-eat-dog world” and that Watkins had been the victim of threats before.

But he denied any knowledge of the planned attack on Watkins and said he was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ when the knife was handed to him.

He said he ‘panicked’ and went to his cell to wrap the knife (a Stanley knife type knife wrapped in Sellotape) in tissue paper and then throw it in a bin.

Dodsworth told detectives: ‘If you are a weed you will be cut down for it. ‘When you’re in prison you can fend for yourself.’

Samuel Dodsworth, 44 (pictured), who is accused of ‘watching over’ 25-year-old Rico Gedel, told police that ‘prisons are a dog world’ and that he was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’.

He continued: ‘Prison is a dog-eat-dog world and I have to put my own safety first.

‘I panicked and wrapped him in a tissue, then I saw the bin and threw him in it.’

He added: ‘I saw Watkins standing at her door with a large gash on his neck.

‘That’s when I panicked and went and got some tissue and ended up throwing it in the bin.’

Dodsworth told police he had never been violent, saying: ‘The only thing I did wrong was to hurt a woman, that’s all.’

He said that as a convicted sex offender he had to ‘look over his shoulder’.

In interview transcripts read in court, Dodsworth said Gedel looked ‘suspicious’ before the attack and looked as if he was about to rob someone.

He told police he wished he had ‘moved somewhere else’ at that point, adding that he was in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’.

Asked about his relationship with Watkins, Dodsworth said: ‘I know him but to me he’s just another prisoner serving his time.’

‘I’ve been in his cell before, so I talk to him the same way I talk to other prisoners.

‘I didn’t like him, we had a chat. We used to laugh and joke and so on.’

He said he knew Watkins was ‘high profile’ and added: ‘He was a normal person like everyone else.

‘Sometimes he was beaten, sometimes he was not eaten.’

When asked about Watkins’ beating, he said: ‘Because this is a high-risk prison. Even I expect to be beaten the day before he leaves prison.’

He said he had a ‘general chat’ with Watkins in his cell and added: ‘I get a bit nervous with that kind of situation, too.

‘Ever since I walked in, I’ve been looking over my shoulder for my crime.

‘While my crime is no worse than Mr Watkins’, it is still a sexual offence.’

Dodsworth said Watkins ‘did not mix with many people’ and only had one prisoner whose cell he regularly entered.

“The man she had been in her cell with, they would spend money together to buy frozen food so they could cook meals on the weekends,” she told police.

Dodsworth claimed he knew nothing about the threatening notes sent to Watkins days before his death, but said: ‘I knew that notes had been forwarded to Watkins in the past.

‘Something like this has happened before.’

Prisoner Gedel (pictured), 25, is accused of murdering the singer, who is serving a 35-year sentence for a string of horrific child sex crimes

Watkins died from ‘significant’ blood loss after a deep cut on the left side of his neck, severing his carotid artery, jurors were told.

Home Office forensic pathologist Robert Ainsworth described how the left carotid artery, one of the main veins that carry blood from the head to the heart, was severed with a 10.5cm wound.

The same neck wound, carried out by ‘securing a Stanley knife to a plastic cutlery set with a large amount of sellotape’, also severed part of Watkins’ voice box and airway.

Dr Ainsworth said: ‘The most likely cause of his death was external blood loss.

‘The left internal carotid artery is a very important blood vessel that carries large amounts of blood from the head to the heart and if it is damaged in any way causing blood loss, this can be life-threatening.’

The other two cuts on Watkins’ right ear and the 11cm cut on his left cheek may not have been fatal on their own.

The force used in the attack was described as ‘mild to moderate’.

Dr Ainsworth added: ‘Trauma to the internal carotid artery in his neck may have resulted in significant external bleeding, which was the most likely cause of Mr Watkins’ death.’

Jurors were told Gedel was expected to admit to killing Watkins but claim he lost self-control.

Dodsworth denies knowing about the attack or helping to plan or carry it out.

Leeds Crown Court heard Watkins had long been considered vulnerable behind bars due to the notoriety of his crimes and the belief that other inmates had access to money.

The day before he was killed, he received two threatening notes; one of them demanded £500 and warned if Watkins couldn’t pay: ‘I promise you I’ll break your head, you snitch.’

‘You will see what will happen if it is not done by Saturday. ‘Don’t be ridiculous for now, this is your last chance.’

Dodsworth said he had no knowledge of the threat but admitted threatening notes had been sent to Watkins before.

Watkins, from Pontypridd, South Wales, was jailed in 2013 after admitting a catalog of child sexual offences, including sexual intercourse with a child and attempted rape of an 11-month-old baby.

He was given consecutive sentences of 14 years and 15 years in prison; He was also given the minimum sentence of 29 years, as well as other sentences for 11 other offences.

The trial continues.