Ian Watkins threatened days before stabbing - court

Paedophile singer Ian Watkins was bullied for money in prison and received letters days before his death demanding cash and threatening he would get his "head cracked open", a court has heard.

The former Lostprophets frontman was fatally stabbed on 11 October in his cell at HMP Wakefield, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences.

The jury was told that in the days leading up to his death, Watkins received letters describing him as a "snitch" and demanding £500 for a "hi-fi, lamp and fan".

Rico Gedel, 25, 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.

Leeds Crown Court also heard statements from workmen who were at the prison and saw Watkins after the incident, with one saying he was "covered in blood from the neck down".

Prison officer Simon Rothwell, who said he was stationed on the same wing as Watkins for about 10 years, labelled him as "vulnerable" because other prisoners "knew he had money".

In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Chris Rose, the officer said: "I built up a good rapport with Watkins – he seemed to have built up a trust in me and would disclose information that I could report back on.

"Watkins has always been vulnerable, being bullied for money, as people were aware of his history and knew he had money."

Rothwell said that on the day before Watkins had told him that he had recently received two "quite threatening" letters.

After taking the letters, the officer said he contacted Watkins by the in-cell phone and "advised that he should self-isolate in his own cell for the weekend".

Rothwell's statement continued: "I rang Watkins and told him my advice, but he replied and said 'no I think I'll be OK.'"

The officer said following the conversation, he told staff of his concerns and to do "extra patrols and extra checks".

The prosecutor then read out the two letters Watkins received, with one saying: "Ian, you've got until Saturday to pay for my hi-fi, lamp and fan.

"If you don't pay by then, I promise you, I will get your head cracked open, you snitch.

"Give a number so my boy can message your people to get my bank details to put in £500.

"If it's not done by Saturday, you will see what will happen to you… This is your last chance."

The court heard that the second note contained similar content, with the message beginning: "You snitch, you got me kicked off the wing.

"You think you got away with it. You got my hi-fi, fan and lamp took away from me, so you owe me a hi-fi, fan and lamp."

A plumber at HMP Wakefield also gave a statement to the court, saying he saw Watkins holding his neck shortly after the incident.

He said: "I could see blood was on the right hand side of his face and I assumed he had a cut to his ear.

"The male stood in my view a matter of seconds before he turned and went back to his cell.

"The male's expression could possibly have been perceived as shocked due to his facial expressions, but I only saw him for a very short time."

A second workman, who was also on shift at the time of the incident, said he saw Watkins had a "huge open wound" to his collarbone and jaw.

His statement read: "When the male stepped out of his cell, he was roughly three metres in front of me.

"I immediately noticed he was covered in blood from the neck down."

The workman said he "immediately signalled" to prison staff on the floor by waving his arms, and they assisted quickly.

CCTV footage shown to the jury appears to show alleged murderer Gedel leave the vicinity of Watkins' cell shortly after he was attacked.

Gedel then appears to engage in a brief conversation with co-defendant Samuel Dodsworth as the pair walk down the hall.

At 09:16 GMT, seconds after Gedel leaves the area, Watkins emerges from his cell and looks both ways before retreating back into his cell.

The video also appears to capture a large amount of blood on his grey prison-issued T-shirt.

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.

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