West Yorkshire Police have reported the apprehension of two additional individuals in connection with the passing of ex-Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins at HMP Wakefield on October 11.
Authorities have detained two men, aged 23 and 39, within the prison premises on suspicion of being involved in a plot to commit murder. Both suspects are currently under police custody and are scheduled for questioning on Tuesday. Subsequently, they will be released on bail and returned to prison as investigations proceed.
This development follows the charging of two inmates at HMP Wakefield with the murder of Watkins earlier in the month.
During a recent court appearance via video link from the prison, one of the accused, Rashid Gedel (also known as Rico Gedel), refused to participate. Alongside Samuel Dodsworth, aged 43, the two individuals face murder charges related to the alleged attack on Watkins.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the West Yorkshire prison on October 11, but Watkins, aged 48 and serving a lengthy sentence for child abuse crimes, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
At the court hearing, no applications for bail were submitted, and both defendants were remanded in custody until their upcoming plea and trial preparation hearing set for November 12.
The trial, anticipated to last two to three weeks, has been provisionally scheduled for May 5 by Judge Guy Kearl. Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison in 2013, with an additional six years on license, for various sexual offenses, including the attempted rape of an infant.
Watkins had faced previous incidents, such as a hospitalization in 2023 due to an assault that was not deemed life-threatening by authorities. In 2019, he received an additional 10-month sentence for possessing a mobile phone while incarcerated for his prior offenses.
The disgraced musician had attempted to appeal the length of his prison term in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Subscribe for the latest celebrity news straight to your email inbox.