A prisoner accused of murdering Ian Watkins, the disgraced Lostprophets frontman, had warned staff the day before the killing that he would “do something to get moved to segregation” rather than accept a wing transfer he was unhappy about, Leeds Crown Court has heard.
Rico Gedel, 25, was told he would be moved from A wing to B wing at high-security HMP Wakefield on 10 October last year. According to a statement from prison officer Adam Laycock, read to jurors by prosecutor Chris Rose, Gedel “didn’t want to move wings” and “had mentioned a number of times that if he was moved he would do something”. Mr Laycock said such threats were common among prisoners but that he “knew Gedel would rather go to segregation than be moved to somewhere he didn’t want to be”.
The following day, 11 October, Watkins – serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby – was stabbed to death in his cell. A “code red” emergency was called, and Mr Laycock rushed to B wing. He later recalled in his statement seeing Gedel being escorted by officers and noticing he “was looking somewhat smug, and seemed to have a smirk on his face”.
Another prison officer, Justin Barrett, who worked on A wing, said he was not surprised when he saw Gedel being restrained. “He had not been happy about the move from A to B wing,” Mr Barrett told the court. “I heard him say he would do something to get moved to segregation.”
The court then heard a series of accounts from officers who dealt with Gedel in the immediate aftermath of the killing. Patrick Wilson, a member of the jail’s dedicated search team (DST), said Gedel was laughing as he entered his cell after the incident. When asked where the weapon was, Gedel replied, “I used my hands.” Mr Wilson said Gedel “kept laughing, saying things like: ‘You guys are DST, this should be the highlight of the day.’”
Bodyworn camera footage shown to jurors captured Gedel telling officers, “I hope he sleeps.” Another search team member, Anthony Whiteside, described Gedel as “calm and cold” throughout the process. “He did not seem bothered about what had occurred,” Mr Whiteside said. “He said something like: ‘You’ll never find it’ (when asked about the weapon). He said things like: ‘I hope he sleeps’ and ‘I hope he goes to sleep.’ It was clear he had hurt him.”
Later, while being observed in his cell, Gedel spoke through the door with officer Andrew Chaplin. Mr Chaplin said Gedel was “perky” and “laughing and joking” as he discussed football and rugby, claiming he used to play for Saracens. During that conversation, Gedel also “spoke about his original crime, and stated he hadn’t committed the murder – that there was three of them but he hadn’t had the knife,” Mr Chaplin’s statement said. Gedel then told the officer: “If I’m going to do life for murder I’m going to make sure it’s worth it,” and added words to the effect of: “If I’ve killed him you could be talking to someone famous.”
After being transferred to the segregation wing at HMP Long Lartin, an officer there reported that Gedel “seemed proud of what had happened” and said he “felt like a celebrity”. The court heard that Gedel had previously expressed resentment toward sex offenders, describing it as “disgusting having to share a wing with sex offenders” and claiming “nonce prisoners” were “treated like royalty”. Watkins, a high-profile inmate whose crimes had made him a “marked man” within the prison system, had been stabbed in a separate attack at HMP Wakefield in August 2023, though those injuries were not life-threatening.
Prosecutors are treating the killing as a “joint offence” between Gedel and Samuel Dodsworth, 44, who both deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife. CCTV footage showed Gedel entering Watkins’ cell for around 20 seconds before emerging and passing something to Dodsworth, who then disposed of the item in a prison bin. Dodsworth later told police he put the knife in the bin “in panic” after seeing Watkins injured, insisting he was not involved.
The makeshift weapon – a Stanley knife blade attached to a piece of plastic cutlery with large amounts of tape – was recovered from the bins. The court was told Gedel passed the knife to Dodsworth after leaving Watkins’ cell. The trial continues.
