Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was 'bullied' for money and threatened before jail stabbing, court hears

Paedophile rock star Ian Watkins was bullied for money and warned his head would be "cracked open" in the days before his death, a court has heard.

The former Lostprophets singer died in October after being stabbed at HMP Wakefield, where he was serving 29 years for child sex offences.

Workmen who witnessed the aftermath of the attack told Leeds Crown Court he emerged from his cell "covered in blood from the neck down".

Rico Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 44, deny murder and possessing a makeshift knife.

Prison officer Simon Rothwell said Watkins was "vulnerable" as other inmates knew he had money from his music career.

"I built up a good rapport with Watkins - he seemed to have built up a trust in me and would disclose information that I could report back on," Mr Rothwell told the court.

He said Watkins had told him about letters asking for money, one of which read: "Ian, you've got until Saturday to pay for my Hi-Fi, lamp and fan.

"If you don't pay by then, I promise you, I will get your head cracked open, you snitch. Give a number so my boy can message your people to get my bank details to put in £500.

"If it's not done by Saturday, you will see what will happen to you… This is your last chance."

In another letter, the writer claimed his hi-fi, fan and lamp had been taken away after Watkins got him "kicked off the wing".

Mr Rothwell said he visited Watkins to collect the letters under the pretence of dropping off a colouring book and warned him to isolate in his cell over the weekend.

The paedophile told him he felt he would be okay, but the officer raised his concerns and asked for "extra patrols and extra checks".

However, Watkins would soon be dead.

A plumber described seeing him clutching his neck in the doorway of the cell after the attack on 11 October.

"I could see blood was on the right-hand side of his face, and I assumed he had a cut to his ear," he told the court in a statement.

"The male stood in my view [for] a matter of seconds before he turned and went back to his cell."

He said Watkins' expression "could possibly have been perceived as shocked".

Another workman told jurors he saw Watkins emerging from his cell with a "huge open wound from his collarbone to his jaw".

He said he "was covered in blood from the neck down" but staff quickly came to help.

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Video shown in court appears to show Rico Gedel leaving the viscinity of Watkins' cell just after he was attacked. The inmate appears to talk briefly to co-accused Samuel Dodworth as the pair walk down the hall.

Seconds later, at 9.16am, Watkins is seen coming out the cell in a blood-stained T-shirt and looking both ways before retreating back inside.

Prosecutors allege Gedel knifed him in the head and neck three times.

Watkins had been in prison for more than an decade after being jailed in December 2013 for multiple sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan's baby.

The trial continues.

(c) Sky News 2026: Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was 'bullied' for money and threat