Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies in prison attack

Disgraced rock star Ian Watkins has died following an attack at HMP Wakefield, prison sources have confirmed.

The 48-year-old from Pontypridd was serving a 29-year sentence for a string of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

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. According to PA reports citing sources, Watkins was attacked with a knife by another inmate.

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

Watkins was jailed in December 2013 after admitting the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13, 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. He pleaded not guilty to rape.

His two co-defendants, the mothers of children he abused, were jailed for 14 and 17 years.

This was not the first attack on Watkins at the prison. He was assaulted in August 2023, though his injuries were not life-threatening.

The attack comes less than two weeks after a report into HMP Wakefield found violence there had “increased markedly”. The report from the chief inspector of prisons stated: “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.”

During his 2013 sentencing, Mr Justice Royce said the case broke “new ground” and “plunged into new depths of depravity”, adding: “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”.

Watkins rose to fame as the frontman of Welsh rock band Lostprophets, formed in 1997. The band released five studio albums, including a number one album in the UK and two top 10 singles, selling millions of albums worldwide.

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

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.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment further while the police investigate.”