Former Lostprophets frontman and convicted paedophile Ian Watkins is dead aged 48 following a knife attack in prison from a fellow inmate. As first reported by The Sun, Watkins was set upon by the inmate in HMP Wakefield, a Category A prison where the ex-singer was serving a 35 year sentence for a series of child sex offences.
Trigger warning: details of violence and child sex crimes below
According to a source for The Sun, Watkins was attacked by another inmate wielding a knife who "shanked him in the neck."
"Guards were nearby and raced to the scene pretty quickly - but there was nothing they could do, and they could not save him," the source adds.
Following what were described as "horrific" scenes, the prison was reported to have been immediately put into lockdown as Watkins was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead soon after the attack.
The attacker is believed to have been identified by police, but his identity has not been made public.
Watkins was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 following one of the most shocking criminal cases in the history of popular music. A high profile rock star as the singer of Lostprophets, Watkins fronted the band for 15 years and five studio albums, headlining festivals and arenas around the world.
On 19 December 2012, however, Watkins was arrested and charged with sexual offences that included the attempted rape of a one-year-old girl and grooming another person - a woman believed to be a Lostprophets fan - to sexually abuse her child, as well as the possession of child pornography and animal pornography.
After initially pleading not guilty, Watkins changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced on December 18 2013. Lostprophets immediately disbanded in the aftermath of Watkins' arrest, though former members of the band did form a new project, No Devotion, with Thursday frontman Geoff Rickley, releasing two studio albums.
Earlier this year, Watkins' former bandmate Lee Gaze released a statement on the shocking turn of events that led to the end of Lostprophets.
"It’s been 13 years since my band ended in the most unimaginable circumstances and it’s still painful to think about," he Tweeted in July
"Things could’ve been so different. I don't talk about it much, but I put everything into that band, and it should’ve lasted a lifetime. I never really wronged anyone my whole life so it seemed like the ultimate punishment."
Following his incarceration, Watkins was involved in a number of controversies including a further conviction of being found guilty of possessing a phone in prison in 2019, and being left in critical condition following an attack by three other Wakefield inmates in 2023.
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