The jury has been discharged within the trial of two males accused of killing disgraced former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins in jail.
The convicted youngster intercourse offender and former singer died in HMP Wakefield final October on the age of 48. Watkins was 12 years right into a 29-year sentence, with an extra six years on licence, after pleading responsible in 2013 to 13 intercourse offences, together with the tried rape of a child, conspiring to rape a toddler and different sexual offences towards youngsters.
Two males had been arrested following Watkins’ dying, and inmates Rico Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 44, had been later charged with homicide and possessing a knife in jail. Each deny the costs.
Addressing the jury at Leeds Crown Court docket on Friday (Might 22), Mr Justice Hilliard advised the jury: “Very reluctantly, I’m going to discharge you and the case should be re-tried. That’s disappointing for you and for everybody.”
The courtroom heard that a provisional re-trial date had been set for February 8 subsequent yr.
Prosecutors had alleged that Gedel entered Watkins’ cell and stabbed him the top and neck with a makeshift knife, earlier than passing the weapon to Dodsworth, who allegedly wrapped it in tissue and positioned it in a bin.
Prosecutors alleged that Dodsworth, who’s serving a sentence for rape, “knew the assault was going to occur” and assisted Gedel by disposing of the weapon. Dodsworth advised the courtroom he performed no half within the assault and panicked when Gedel handed him the knife.
The trial additionally heard that Gedel, who’s serving a life sentence for homicide, requested jail officers to “let me know when he dies” after the alleged assault. He additionally stated that he had threatened to harm “any variety of paedophiles” until he was transferred from HMP Wakefield.
Gedel had beforehand been reported to have boasted about turning into “well-known” after Watkins’ dying.
Watkins had beforehand been attacked in jail in 2023, when he was stabbed and brought hostage by three different inmates. He was later discovered and freed by officers and brought to hospital.
It was later reported that Watkins had been stabbed with a “sharpened rest room brush” over a drug debt.
In 2019, he was sentenced to a further 10 months in jail for possessing a cell phone on high of the sentence he was serving for youngster intercourse offences.
