Ian Watkins, the disgraced former Lostprophets frontman, was subjected to daily abuse and lived in near-total isolation at HMP Wakefield, according to a former prison guard. Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences, including attempted rape of a baby, when he was allegedly murdered in his cell on October 11.
Former prison officer Tony Cottenden told the Mirror that Watkins, like other sex offenders, was kept separate from the general prison population. "They're usually supervised if they're alongside a normal population, or if they need to go somewhere, they're usually taken there by an officer," Cottenden said. "Everything is separate. You're usually just on the landing full of other vulnerable prisoners."
HMP Wakefield, known as 'Monster Mansion', houses notorious inmates including serial killers and terrorists. A recent report by the chief inspector of prisons found that violence towards sex offenders on Watkins's wing had "increased markedly", with many prisoners feeling unsafe, particularly older men convicted of sexual offences.
Watkins was attacked by three inmates in 2023 and nearly died. He was rescued by riot officers who used stun grenades. Despite having money to buy protection, he was abused daily. Following his death, two inmates, Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, have been charged with murder, and two others arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
Cottenden warned that the incident could unsettle prison dynamics. "It can go one of two ways. It settles right down, and it unsettles the wing/unit dynamics. The people that allegedly did it could have been ringleaders, so there could be a new top dog," he said.
