Lostprophets Singer Ian Watkins Dies After Being Attacked in Prison, Where He Was Serving 29-Year Sentence for Child Sex Crimes By Charlotte Phillipp

Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison, and authorities have arrested two men in connection with his death.

According to reports from the BBC and the Associated Press, Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex crimes at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England.

Emergency personnel were called to the prison on Saturday, Oct. 11, after the Welsh musician was attacked with a knife. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two men, ages 25 and 43, were arrested on suspicion of murder, West Yorkshire Police told the outlets.

A Prison Service spokesperson told the BBC that they were aware of an incident at the prison but “unable to comment further while the police investigate.”

Watkins previously served as the lead singer for Lostprophets, a Welsh rock band that topped the U.K. charts in 2006 after the release of their third album, Liberation Transmission.

In 2013, Watkins pleaded guilty to 13 charges, including conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault of children, seven counts involving making or possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal. He pleaded not guilty to a rape charge.

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During the trial, prosecutors alleged that the musician used his fame — as well as drugs such as crystal meth — to manipulate others.

Two co-defendants, the mothers of children he abused, were also jailed for 14 and 17 years. Lostprophets disbanded in 2013 after Watkins’ arrest.

At the time of Watkins’ sentencing, U.K. Judge John Royce said the singer was a dangerous sexual predator who had abused his fame to help satisfy his “insatiable lust” and had “plunged into new depths of depravity.”

“Those who have appeared in these courts over many years see a large number of horrific cases,” Royce said during the sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court, per AP. “This case, however, breaks new ground.”

“Any decent person… will experience shock, revulsion and incredulity,” the judge said, per the BBC, adding that Watkins had a “complete lack of remorse.”

In 2014, U.K. courts rejected Watkins’ appeal to reduce the length of his sentence.

In August 2023, Watkins was attacked in prison, but his injuries weren’t life-threatening, per the BBC.

Following Watkins’ sentencing, Des Mannion, NSPCC national head of service for Wales, said that he “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,” Mannion added.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.