Ian Watkins died from stab wound to neck, inquest reveals

Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins died in Wakefield prison (South Wales Police/PA) South Wales Police

Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins died from a stab wound to the neck, an inquest opening has heard. The disgraced rock star was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences at HMP Wakefield when he died on October 11.

Coroner Oliver Longstaff opened and adjourned the inquest at Wakefield Coroner's Court on Friday. He said paramedics were called to the West Yorkshire jail "following a report he had been stabbed in the neck" and that a post-mortem report gave the cause of death as an incision to the neck.

Murder charges filed

Two inmates have been charged with murdering the 48-year-old Watkins. Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, appeared in court last week but were not asked to enter pleas.

West Yorkshire Police said this week that two more men from the prison, aged 23 and 39, had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. The men were bailed and returned to prison while inquiries continue.

Trial date set

Judge Guy Kearl set a provisional trial date of May 5 at Leeds Crown Court, with proceedings expected to take two to three weeks. The coroner said his investigation would be suspended "pending the outcome of the criminal justice process".

Longstaff noted that whether an inquest would need to be resumed after the criminal proceedings "is a matter of complete speculation and remains to be seen".

Previous conviction and incidents

Watkins was jailed for 29 years in December 2013, with a further six years on licence, after admitting a string of sex offences including the attempted rape of a fan's baby. He was arrested in September 2012 when equipment seized from his Pontypridd home revealed his criminal behaviour.

The singer had been attacked previously at the prison in 2023, when he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates and hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries. In 2019, he received an additional 10-month sentence for possessing a mobile phone in prison.

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).