Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was killed this weekend at HMP Wakefield the place he was serving a 29-year jail sentence for youngster intercourse offences
Ian Watkins was a world-famous rock star driving a crest of worldwide success however beneath the waves he was hiding his true id as a “extremely manipulative sexual predator” and a dedicated paedophile. His crimes would ship shockwaves throughout the globe and plumb new depths of depravity that few may bear to understand.
Because the frontman and lead singer of Welsh-band Lostprophets, Watkins’ charismatic stage performances received over a league of followers, significantly younger girls and ladies who he sought to reap the benefits of for his personal sexual gratification, and to realize entry to kids together with infants.
Having confronted justice for his sickening crimes and sentenced to virtually three a long time behind bars, Watkins’ life got here to an abrupt finish at HMP Wakefield yesterday morning. For the most recent court docket studies signal as much as our crime publication.
Right here is the complete story of the downfall of Ian Watkins and the horrific crimes he dedicated throughout his life.
Rise of a rock star
Ian Watkins was born in Merthyr Tydfil in 1977 and raised in Pontypridd, attending Hawthorn Excessive Faculty. In his mid teenagers, he began his first band, named Aftermath.
He studied graphic design on the College of Wales, Newport, and started his music profession as a drummer earlier than switching to the microphone.
In 1997, the Misplaced Prophetz have been shaped, and after altering their identify to Lostprophets, they recorded their debut album, The Pretend Sound of Progress, in 2000.
After signing to Columbia Data, they re-recorded and re-released the album earlier than happening to succeed in chart success, with their albums cracking the High 40 in America.
Their third album, Liberation Transmission went to primary within the UK, and so they secured High 10 hits with Final Prepare Residence and Rooftops (Liberation Broadcast).
Lostprophets have been named finest British band on the Kerrang! awards in 2006 and 2007, and their final album Weapons was launched simply eight months earlier than Watkins’ crimes have been uncovered.
Throughout their profession, the band performed sell-out exhibits and main festivals the world over, with Watkins the focus of their stage exhibits, closely tattooed with piercings and a charismatic stage persona.
What authorities knew about Watkins
In 2008, Watkins’ ex-partner Joanne Mjadzelics telephoned Rhondda Cynon Taf’s kids’s providers to report the singer had given an toddler youngster cocaine and had touched the kid inappropriately. This data was handed on to South Wales Police.
In 2010, data was acquired by Crimestoppers and entered right into a South Wales Police log. The data claimed Watkins was concerned in youngster pornography.
It acknowledged: “He has obtained photographs of girls and boys aged round eight on his pc. He additionally acknowledged that he wished to get entangled in sexual relations with kids.”
It was additionally reported that Watkins used cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth and heroin.
Additional data was acquired that Watkins was promoting medication to minors to pay for his personal heroin and crystal meth behavior and smuggled medication into the nation in his cavities when travelling with Lostprophets.
It additionally acknowledged that Watkins obtained, considered and produced youngster pornography and watched it on his pc. It mentioned he had claimed to have molested a four-year-old and used Fb and Twitter to groom underage girls and boys.
Watkins’ telephone quantity, deal with and e-mail deal with was additionally produced.
For the third time in six months data was acquired by Crimestoppers and entered into the South Wales Police log.
It claimed Watkins pressured younger ladies from the age of 14 to have intercourse with him after gigs and recorded the acts on his laptop computer.
It mentioned he took over their social networking to cease them from telling individuals and threatened to return spherical and “kind them out” in the event that they instructed anybody.
Two males arrested after disgraced rock star Ian Watkins killed in jail assault
In October 2010, a report by an individual, often known as Witness B, was made to the Metropolitan Police, which was handed on to South Wales Police.
It states that Watkins “boasted” about having indecent photographs on his pc and had mentioned he wished to “marry a lady and switch her right into a junkie and have kids along with her and abuse them”.
In 2011, Ms Mjadzelics emailed a grievance to South Wales Police’s ACPO (Affiliation of Chief Police Officers) e-mail field concerning lack of police motion.
She defined she had instructed a Detective Constable that Watkins was abusing a four-year-old youngster and had instructed her a couple of 12-year-old he had abused in Los Angeles.
She mentioned she had offered the officer with images of the four-year-old Watkins had emailed to her and he or she had offered her cell phone and laptop computer to produce proof of conversations with Watkins.
Ms Mjadzelics concluded her e-mail by disclosing that Watkins was “raping a minimum of one five-year-old lady regularly” and had a feminine confederate.
In February, 2012, a report was made by an individual, named Witness A, at Pontypridd Police Station. He claimed that his daughter may need been abused and there could also be photographic proof.
A month later, a report was made to South Yorkshire Police by a lady, named B, who later turned considered one of Watkins’ co-defendants.
She instructed officers she believed Ian Watkins could have sexually assaulted her 11-month-old son on the Copthorne Lodge in Cardiff and he or she additionally disclosed that she had discovered indecent photographs of youngsters on his pc.
She additionally mentioned there have been rumours that Watkins had raped a five-year-old.
The lady additionally offered police with the password to Watkins’ pc, the place she had seen the indecent photographs, and its location in his home.
This was handed on to South Wales Police by South Yorkshire Police.
In April, 2012, Ms Mjadzelics despatched an e-mail to a 3rd celebration in Essex, the contents of which have been reported to Essex Police and subsequently handed on to South Wales Police.
Within the e-mail Ms Mjadzelics mentioned Watkins had instructed her he wished to rape kids and had tried to rape a “little lady” in Russia in 2001. She mentioned he had additionally “accomplished issues” with a 12-year-old in Hollywood.
She mentioned he emailed her an image of a feminine youngster and instructed her he had abused the kid and administered medication to her.
A collection of emails have been despatched to South Wales Police from an Australian nationwide, named Witness D, who offered details about Watkins’ drug use and youngster molestation.
She mentioned he boasted about getting a 13-year-old “excessive” and of getting intercourse along with her and expressed his hope she would fall pregnant by him.
The witness additional disclosed that Watkins had instructed her he “medication younger ladies” which are underage and has intercourse with them within the hope of getting them pregnant.
She mentioned she had witnessed Watkins having intercourse with younger ladies over Skype and had despatched her photos of him performing “sexual actions” with women and men.
In June 2012, South Wales Police acquired intelligence from a lady, named Witness C, who claimed Watkins had proven indicators of an “unnatural curiosity” in kids and had textual content her saying he wished to stupefy an toddler for sexual functions.
She mentioned he was a drug abuser and provider and usually saved medication in the home.
One other report was made by Ms Mjadzelics to Bedfordshire Police that Watkins had arrange a Twitter account to which “superfans” despatched indecent photographs of youngsters. This report was made following Watkins’ arrest.
Crimes uncovered
Watkins was arrested following the execution of a medication warrant at his Pontypridd residence on September 21, 2012 when a lot of computer systems, cellphones and storage units have been seized.
His tools was analysed and it was then the true depths of his wicked crimes got here to mild.
The singer had been in touch with two girls by means of texts and on-line messages with a view of abusing their two infants. He expressed his intention to “cross the road” and his plan to drug one younger sufferer by respiratory crystal meth smoke into the kid’s face.
A vile 17-minute recording filmed in a London resort room confirmed Watkins performing a sexual act on a baby.
Watkins protested his innocence from the day of his arrest in 2012 up till the day of his trial a 12 months later the place he lastly admitted what he had accomplished.
On October 1, 2013, Watkins’ former bandmates introduced the break up of Lostprophets, in mild of their lead singer’s crimes.
Of their assertion, the band mentioned: “After almost a 12 months of coming to phrases with our heartache, we lastly really feel able to announce publicly what we’ve got thought privately for a while. We are able to now not proceed making or performing music as Lostprophets.
“Your love and help over the previous 15 years has been great, and we’ll be perpetually grateful for all you’ve got given us. As we sit up for the following part of our lives, we are able to solely hope to be surrounded by individuals as devoted and galvanizing as you guys have been.”
The assertion was signed “Jamie (Oliver), Lee (Gaze), Luke (Johnson), Mike (Lewis), and Stu (Richardson)”.
On November 27, 2013, Watkins pleaded responsible to 13 youngster intercourse offences. He additionally admitted to the rape and sexual assault of a kid who was below the age of 13.
He additionally admitted conspiring to rape a baby, three counts of sexual assault involving kids, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent photographs of youngsters and considered one of possessing an excessive pornographic picture involving a intercourse act on an animal.
A day later, Watkins made a telephone name to a feminine good friend from Parc Jail in Bridgend and described his youngster intercourse abuse as “megalolz”. The paedophile added: “I do not know what everyone seems to be getting labored up about.”
He additionally claimed he was not a paedophile however was pleading responsible to keep away from a trial.
Watkins mentioned: “It was, like, both me go up there and say ‘Come on, it wasn’t that unhealthy, no one obtained damage’, I do my allure. Or do I find yourself making issues worse for myself? Or do I simply say I used to be off my head and might’t bear in mind?”
Discussing his potential sentence, he added: “I’ll put an announcement on [December] 18th now simply to say it was megalolz, I do not know what everyone seems to be getting so freaked out about.”
At his sentencing listening to at Cardiff Crown Court docket on December 18, with Watkins visibly shaking, Mr Justice Royce instructed him his actions, in addition to that of his two feminine co-defendants, “defied perception”. The choose instructed the singer he had “plumbed new depths of depravity”.
He mentioned Watkins confirmed “evident delight” in abusing kids and confirmed an “virtually full lack of regret” for his behaviour. He mentioned: “It is tough to think about something a lot worse.”
The choose mentioned Watkins was a “vital danger” to younger girls and kids. He mentioned he was a “deeply corrupting affect”, “extremely manipulative” and a “sexual predator”.
He mentioned: “You’re a sexual predator. You’re harmful. The general public and, specifically, younger females and kids want safety from you.”
Watkins was sentenced to a complete of 29 years imprisonment, and an prolonged licence interval of six years, that means a complete sentence of 35 years.
Life in jail
Having been incarcerated at HMP Parc throughout his remand, Watkins was transferred to HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire to start serving his sentence.
He was later trasnferred to HMP Lengthy Lartin in Worcestershire in 2014 to be nearer to his mom, after she had undergone a kidney transplant.
In July of the identical 12 months, the paedophile had an attraction to scale back the size of his jail time period rejected, with attraction judges stating that his offences have been “of such stunning depravity that they demanded a prolonged jail sentence”.
In 2017, Watkins was accused of grooming a two-year-old lady’s mom from jail by means of letters. The NSPCC mentioned: “That is an absolute shambles. We’re sickened. It’s completely bewildering that he may stick with it grooming. It exhibits contempt for youngsters he abused, and raises critical questions on supervision.”
In 2018, he was transferred again to HMP Wakefield. In 2019, he was sentenced to an extra 10-months imprisonment after he was present in possession of a cell phone.
Watkins had claimed the telephone didn’t belong to him, and he was holding it for 2 inmates. He claimed he nonetheless acquired fan mail from Lostprophets followers and the lads wished him to reap the benefits of girls who wrote to him as a “income stream”.
In 2023, Watkins was taken hostage by three different inmates and stabbed in a row over guitar classes and a reported drug debt. He suffered stab wounds and beatings earlier than ultimately being freed by jail officers six hours after being taken hostage.
Following the assault, he was mentioned to be steady and police confirmed his accidents weren’t life threatening. It’s believed he tried to purchase “safety and friendships” from different inmates following this incident.
Dying
Watkins was killed at HMP Wakefield on October 11, 2025. He was 48-years-old.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police confirmed they have been known as to Wakefield Jail after “an assault” on Saturday morning.
They mentioned emergency providers have been known as after an assault on a prisoner was reported to police. The police power confirmed {that a} man suffered critical accidents and was pronounced lifeless on the scene.
Detectives from the Murder and Main Enquiry Staff are investigating and enquiries stay ongoing on the scene.
It has been reported that the incident occurred as inmates have been unlocked from their cells.
The jail went into lockdown within the instant aftermath of the incident, sources added.
A press release from West Yorkshire Police learn: “We have launched a homicide investigation after the loss of life of a person in HMP Wakefield.
“Officers have been known as by workers on the jail at 9.39am this morning (Saturday 11 October) to studies of a critical assault on a prisoner.
“A person aged 48 was discovered with critical accidents. Regardless of medical consideration he was pronounced lifeless on the scene.”
Two males, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of homicide and are presently in police custody.
The power added: “Detectives from the murder and main enquiry workforce are investigating and enquiries stay ongoing.”
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