A prison guard disclosed that a nurse reacted with alarm upon seeing Ian Watkins’ injuries and then the disgraced musician began choking on his own blood following an assault in prison.

Rico Gedel, 25, also known as Rashid, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, stand accused of murdering the former frontman of Lostprophets at HMP Wakefield on October 11. The trial is currently ongoing at Leeds Crown Court.

Watkins, aged 48, received a 29-year prison sentence in December 2013, with an additional six years on license, after confessing to various sex crimes, including attempting to rape a fan’s infant.

According to court testimony, prison staff rushed to assist Watkins after he was allegedly attacked with a makeshift knife. A nurse present at the scene let out a distressed sound upon seeing the severity of the injuries. Subsequently, Watkins began choking on his blood and went into cardiac arrest, leading to his death.

The trial jurors have been informed that Watkins sustained three injuries from a makeshift knife during a brief 20-second attack. West Yorkshire Police released footage of a bloodied Watkins exiting his cell after it was shown to jurors by prosecutor Tom Storey KC.

Both Gedel and Dodsworth have denied the murder charges. Gedel is accused of carrying out the attack, while Dodsworth is accused of standing guard and disposing of the weapon in a bin in the recess area.

During the trial, two prison officers testified on Friday, with one recalling noticing Watkins’ injuries while on the B wing landing. The officer mentioned observing Watkins with blood on his white T-shirt before assisting him back into his cell.

Later on, officers intervened in an altercation involving Gedel and another inmate, leading to Gedel’s apprehension. Following this, Gedel was taken to the neighboring cell where Watkins was housed. A strip search was conducted, and one officer remained on guard duty.

In a separate testimony, another officer described interacting with both Gedel and Watkins on the day of the incident. The officer engaged in a brief exchange with Gedel before proceeding to unlock other cells on the wing.

Upon reaching Watkins’ cell, the officer found him drawing and engaged in a conversation before continuing with the cell searches to ensure security. The officer recalled seeing a gesture made by a workman towards Watkins’ cell, indicating a neck-slashing motion.

After the altercation, Watkins was attended to by the officer and a nurse, who reacted with shock upon witnessing the severity of Watkins’ neck injury. Despite resuscitation efforts, Watkins succumbed to his injuries.

The trial is ongoing, with further proceedings expected.