Two men have appeared in court charged with the murder of paedophile Ian Watkins who is the former lead singer of band Lostprohphets.
The former Lostprophets frontman, who was serving a 29-year jail sentence for a plethora of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby, was fatally injured in an incident at the prison just after 09:30 on Saturday.
Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning.
Appearing separately during consecutive hearings at the court, both Mr Dodsworth and Mr Gedel spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth.
Both defendants were told they would appear before Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, with no pleas entered during the short hearings.
During sentencing for Watkins, Mr Justice Royce said the case broke “new ground” and “plunged into new depths of depravity”.
Watkins was previously attacked & kidnapped at Wakefield Prison in 2023, although his injuries were not life-threatening on that occasion.
One of the suspects for Ian Watkins murder, Rashid Gedel, is also drill rapper Broaddayay, was sentenced in 2023 for a minimum term 27 years in prison for the murder of Sven Badzak.
Gedel was part of the South Side Kilburn gang based in NW6, South Kilburn.
Lostprophets, formed in Pontypridd, Wales became one of the UK’s biggest bands, securing 11 top 40 hits and a number one album between 2002 and 2010.
In a statement released after his conviction, the band’s remaining members said they were “heartbroken, angry, and disgusted” at his crimes, adding that their “hearts go out” to his victims.
