Man denies murdering Ian Watkins in prison
Ian Watkins was killed at HMP Wakefield on 11 October
- Published
A man has denied murdering the paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins at HMP Wakefield.
Watkins, who was jailed for life in 2013 for a string of child sex offences, was stabbed in the neck at the high-security jail on 11 October.
Samuel Dodsworth, 43, pleaded not guilty to murder at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday.
A second defendant, Rico Gedel, 25, refused to appear in court via video-link and no pleas were entered on his behalf.
The court was told Mr Gedel, previously identified by the authorities as Rashid Gedel, refused to leave his cell because he wanted to appear in person.
Mr Dodsworth, who did appear via video-link from HMP Wakefield, also denied possessing a makeshift knife at the prison on the same day Watkins was killed.
He is due to stand trial on 5 May next year.
A further case management hearing was scheduled for 2 February.
Welsh singer Watkins, who was serving a 29-year sentence at the prison, rose to fame in the 2000s with Lostprophets, who achieved 11 top 40 UK hits and a chart-topping album.
But in December 2013 he was jailed for a string of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.
During sentencing, Mr Justice Royce said the case broke "new ground" and "plunged into new depths of depravity".
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.