South Wales Police
The disgraced rock star from Pontypridd was serving a 29-year sentence at HMP Wakefield for child sex offences
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 was jailed in December 2013 for a string of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.
He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, 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 thought life threatening.
He 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.
What did Ian Watkins do?
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”.
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