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Jury discharged in Ian Watkins prison murder trial
The judge said the case will be retried after jurors were discharged in the murder trial of two inmates accused of stabbing Ian Watkins.
- On Friday, Mr Justice Hilliard discharged the jury at Leeds Crown Court in the murder trial of former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins, stating: "Very reluctantly, I'm going to discharge you and the case will have to be re-tried."
- Watkins was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences when fatally stabbed in his cell at HMP Wakefield; he had received that sentence in December 2013 and faced multiple prior attacks, including a 2023 stabbing that left him fighting for his life.
- During trial, Gedel told the court he despised being housed with sex offenders at Wakefield and threatened to harm "any number of paedophiles" unless relocated, explaining he selected Watkins primarily due to "proximity" after his transfer following assaults on three other inmates.
- Prosecutors argued Dodsworth "knew the attack was going to happen" and disposed of the weapon, while Dodsworth, serving a sentence for rape, maintained he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and that Gedel passed him the knife after leaving Watkins' cell.
- Both defendants denied the murder charge and possessing a weapon, with the case now requiring a complete re-trial; Watkins' original sentence had been extended 10 months in 2019 after he was discovered with a banned mobile phone.
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Cornwall Live+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Ian Watkins murder trial collapses as jury discharged
The jury in the trial of two prisoners accused of murdering Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins at HMP Wakefield has been discharged for legal reasons, with the case now set to be retried
·Cornwall, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources23
Leaning Left6Leaning Right4Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Center
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources are Center
47% Center
L 32%
C 47%
R 21%
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