A prisoner accused of murdering paedophile Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins told him to have a ‘good night sleep’ in chilling new CCTV footage, a court heard. The disgraced singer was stabbed to death on October 11 last year in his cell at high-security HMP Wakefield, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences.
Prison Officers Describe Suspect as 'Smug'
Leeds Crown Court heard statements from prison officers who described alleged murderer Rico Gedel, 25, as ‘smug’ and ‘smirking’ after the incident. Jurors were shown bodyworn camera footage of Gedel saying ‘I hope he sleeps’ as he was being led away by officers after searching his cell.
Adam Laycock said he had been involved in moving Gedel from A wing to B wing the day before Watkins was killed and he had threatened ‘to do something to get moved to segregation’. Mr Laycock’s statement, read to jurors by prosecutor Chris Rose, said: ‘(Gedel) didn’t want to move wings. He had mentioned a number of times that if he was moved he would do something. Often this is the kind of threat prisoners make and often they do nothing to carry it out. I knew Gedel would rather go to segregation than be moved to somewhere he didn’t want to be.’
Mr Laycock said he rushed to B wing on the day of Watkins’ death after hearing a ‘code red’ called, and saw Gedel being escorted by officers. ‘I noticed Gedel was looking somewhat smug, and seemed to have a smirk on his face,’ his statement read.
Further Evidence of Gedel's Behaviour
Another prison officer from A wing, Justin Barrett, said he saw Gedel being restrained after the ‘code red’. He said: ‘I wasn’t shocked to see it was him. He had not been happy about the move from A to B wing. I heard him say he would do something to get moved to segregation.’
Jurors also heard statements from several officers who searched Gedel when he was moved to his cell after the incident. Patrick Wilson, who was part of the jail’s dedicated search team, said Gedel was laughing as he entered the cell, and responded ‘I used my hands’ when asked where the weapon was. Mr Wilson said: ‘He kept laughing, saying things like: “You guys are DST, this should be the highlight of the day”.’
Anthony Whiteside said Gedel was ‘calm and cold’ throughout the search and ‘did not seem bothered about what had occurred’. His statement read: ‘(Gedel) 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.’
Gedel's Remarks About Fame and the Crime
Another prison officer, Andrew Chaplin, who spoke to Gedel through the door of his cell while observing him after the incident, said Gedel was ‘perky’, and was ‘laughing and joking’ as he talked about football and rugby, saying he used to play for Saracens. Mr Chaplin’s statement read: ‘He 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.’ He said Gedel told him: ‘If I’m going to do life for murder I’m going to make sure it’s worth it,’ and said words to the effect of: ‘If I’ve killed him you could be talking to someone famous.’
An officer from the segregation wing at HMP Long Lartin, where Gedel was taken after Watkins’ death, said Gedel seemed ‘proud of what had happened’ and said he ‘felt like a celebrity’.
The Weapon and Trial Details
Jurors were told that the makeshift weapon found in the prison bins, where it was disposed of by Samuel Dodsworth, was made of a Stanley knife stuck to a piece of plastic cutlery with large amounts of tape. The court has heard Gedel passed the knife to Dodsworth after leaving Watkins’ cell. In his interview with police after the stabbing, Gedel complained about his treatment in prison and said: ‘In a normal prison there’s nonce wings and normal wings, but in Wakefield it’s just everyone.’ In a transcript of the interview read in court, Gedel was asked how he felt about sharing a wing with ‘people like that’. He replied: ‘It’s disgusting.’
Gedel, who was initially referred to by police as Rashid Gedel, and Samuel Dodsworth, 44, both deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife in prison. 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. The trial continues.
