Man accused of killing Ian Watkins ‘smug’ after fatal stabbing, trial told

A prisoner accused of murdering pedophile Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was “unhappy” about having to move his wings and threatened to “do something to segregate” the day before the fatal attack, a court heard.

The disgraced singer was stabbed to death in his cell at high-security HMP Wakefield on October 11 last year, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences.

Leeds Crown Court heard evidence from prison officers who described alleged killer Rico Gedel, 25, as “smug” and “smirking” after the incident.

Adam Laycock said he was involved in moving Gedel from wing A to wing B the day before Watkins was killed.

Mr Laycock’s statement, read to jurors by prosecutor Chris Rose, said: “(Gedel) didn’t want to move his wings.

“He said a few times that he would do something if she moved out.

“This is the kind of threat that prisoners often make, and they often do nothing to carry it out.

“I knew Gedel would rather be isolated than moved to a place he didn’t want to be.”

Mr Laycock said he rushed to B-wing after hearing the “code red” call on the day Watkins died and saw Gedel being escorted by officers.

“I noticed that Gedel looked a little smug and appeared to have a grin on his face,” he testified.

Justin Barrett, another prison officer from Wing A, said he saw Gedel being restrained after a “code red.”

He said: “I wasn’t shocked to see it was him.

“He wasn’t very happy with the transition from wing A to wing B.

“I heard you say you were going to do something to move on to racism.”

Jurors also heard testimony from several police officers who searched Gedel when he was taken to his cell after the incident.

Patrick Wilson, who was part of the prison’s special search team (DST), said Gedel laughed as he entered the cell and responded, “I used my hands” when asked where the gun was.

Mr Wilson said: “He kept laughing and saying things like: ‘You’re DST, this must be the highlight of the day’.”

Jurors were shown body-worn camera footage of Gedel saying “I hope he’s asleep” to officers searching his cell.

Anthony Whiteside said Gedel was “calm and cool” throughout the call and “didn’t seem bothered by what was going on.”

Here is his testimony: “(Gedel) said something like this: ‘You’ll never find it (when asked about the gun).

“He said things like, ‘I hope he sleeps,’ ‘I hope he sleeps.’ It was clear he was hurting her.”

Another prison officer, Andrew Chaplin, who spoke to Gedel through his cell door while observing him after the incident, said Gedel was “lively”, “laughing and joking” when talking about football and rugby and used to play for Saracens.

Mr Chaplin’s statement was as follows: “He also talked about his actual crime and stated that he had not committed the murder, that there were three people, but he did not have the knife.”

He said Gedel told him, “If I’m going to get a life sentence for murder, I’m going to make sure it’s worth it,” and said things like, “If I killed him, you might be talking to someone famous.”

An officer from the segregation wing at HMP Long Lartin, where Gedel was taken after Watkins’ death, said Gedel was “proud of what happened” and “felt like a celebrity”.

Jurors were told the makeshift weapon found by Samuel Dodsworth in the prison bins where it was disposed of was made from a Stanley knife attached to a piece of plastic cutlery with large amounts of tape.

The court heard Gedel handed the knife to Dodsworth after Watkins left his cell.

Gedel, whom police initially referred to as Rashid Gedel, and Samuel Dodsworth, 44, deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife in prison.

Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison in December 2013, with a further six years on license, after admitting a string of sexual offenses, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.

The trial continues.