Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies in prison attack

Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in jail, prison sources have confirmed.

The disgraced rock star from Pontypridd was serving a 29-year sentence at HMP Wakefield for child sex offences.

West Yorkshire Police said they were called to the prison on Saturday morning to an assault on a prisoner, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Watkins, 48, was jailed in December 2013 for a string of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

A Prison Service spokesperson said it was aware of an incident at the prison.

“We are unable to comment further while the police investigate.”

He was attacked with a knife by another inmate, PA reported, citing sources.

Police said detectives were investigating and enquiries ongoing at the scene.

He was attacked in prison in August 2023, but his injuries were not life threatening.

Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison with a further six years on licence, and his two co-defendants, the mothers of children he abused, were jailed for 14 and 17 years.

The attack at Wakefield Prison comes less than two weeks after a report into the facility was published that found violence there had “increased markedly”.

The report from the chief inspector of prisons said: “Many prisoners told us they felt unsafe, particularly older men convicted of sexual offences who increasingly shared the prison with a growing cohort of younger prisoners.”

Watkins admitted the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 but pleaded not guilty to rape.

He also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

Judges rejected an appeal by Watkins in 2014 to reduce the length of his jail term.

During sentencing, Mr Justice Royce said the case broke “new ground” and “plunged into new depths of depravity”.

“Any decent person… will experience shock, revulsion and incredulity.”

The judge said Watkins had a “corrupting influence”, and had shown a “complete lack of remorse”.

As a rock star in his 20s, Watkins sold millions of albums around the world and commanded huge arena crowds.

Formed in 1997, Welsh rock band Lostprophets released five studio albums in total, including a number one album in the UK and two top 10 singles.

They also saw some success in the US, where their second and third albums both reached the top 40.

After Watkins was sentenced, Des Mannion, NSPCC national head of service for Wales, said: “Watkins used his status and global fame as a means to manipulate people and sexually abuse children.

“But we must nevertheless remember that this case isn’t about celebrity, it’s about victims. And those victims are children.”