An inmate has entered a plea of not guilty to the alleged murder of former musician Ian Watkins of Lostprophets, following his death while incarcerated at HMP Wakefield. The defendant appeared at Leeds Crown Court via video link this week. He was denied the charge of murder, alongside a related allegation of wielding a makeshift weapon inside the prison.

According to the report by NME, prosecutors say the 48-year-old Watkins was fatally attacked in October during a period when inmates were unlocked, and two men have since been charged in connection with his death. The court heard that one of the defendants, 43-year-old Samuel Dodsworth, appeared remotely and entered the plea. The other, 25-year-old Rashid Gedel, did not enter a plea having refused to participate via video link. The trial has been provisionally set for 5 May 2026, with a case-management hearing scheduled for February. 

Watkins, once the frontman of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, was serving a sentence for numerous child-sex offences at the time of his death. His prior convictions and high-profile status had already made him a target within the prison system. The latest court proceedings now focus on establishing who carried out the alleged killing and under what circumstances.