Ian Watkins, ex-Lostprophets singer and convicted pedophile, stabbed in prison

A Welsh rock singer who confessed to sexual offenses against toddlers and babies is reportedly fighting for his life in one of the harshest prisons in the country. After being stabbed, the singer was kidnapped by other inmates.

Ian Watkins, 46, the former frontman of the defunct band Lostprophets, was found in his cell at His Majesty’s Prison Wakefield with knife wounds. Given the seriousness of his injuries and the serious risk to his life, prison staff quickly became aware of the situation and took him to a hospital.

“There are fears he could die. If he survives, he’ll have been very lucky.” according to what sources said to the Mirror.

The outlet claims that at around nine in the morning on Saturday, Watkins, 46, was being held captive by three prisoners. He was physically attacked and sustained multiple stab wounds during this period. Six hours later, guards at the prison intervened and freed him.

Watkins formed the musical group Lostprophets in 1997; the group disbanded in 2013 after Watkins was imprisoned.

When Watkins was given a 29-year sentence for multiple crimes involving child sexual abuse, he had already served ten years in prison. These included possession of child pornography, sexual assault against a minor under the age of thirteen, and attempted rape.

Court documents state that Watkins began sexually assaulting people in March 2007. He captured explicit acts of “oral, vaginal, and anal sex” with a 16-year-old girl during this period.

The documents state that Watkins had oral sex with a different 16-year-old girl who was one of his followers a year later. The girl also ingested a white substance that may have been cocaine during this interaction.

In 2017, the Guardian reported that Watkins’ ex-girlfriend Joanne Mjadzelics reported to the police that the singer had told her about his actions of giving cocaine to a child and making inappropriate contact with the victim.

The police dismissed the initial accusation, later determining that Mjadzelics’ claim was not sufficiently supported by the evidence. Still, a lot of complaints were made about Watkins’ behavior.

Wakins’s legal issues began in 2012 when he was arrested three times for drug-related offenses, including cocaine and methamphetamine possession without authorization.

As reported by the Guardian, after his third arrest, police carried out a comprehensive search of his home and computer and found strong evidence that he was, in fact, a pedophile.

The most heinous acts Watkins had committed were revealed in November 2013, during his trial.

In December 2013, he made connections with two supporters who were mothers of a young girl and a 10-month-old boy, according to the sentencing remarks. Between March 2011 and October 2012, he gave Watkins permission to engage in anal and oral intercourse.

In the end, both adults admitted to planning a rape together.

Watkins was described by Judge John Royce, who oversaw the sentencing, as a highly “manipulative” predator.

“I am satisfied that you are a deeply corrupting influence; you are highly manipulative; you are a sexual predator; you are dangerous,” Royce stated, according to a transcript of the trial.

Watkin’s collection comprised about ninety images of children, ages two to fourteen, that were deemed inappropriate.

Situated in West Yorkshire, England, HMP Wakefield is a maximum-security prison that is exclusively for male inmates and can house up to 750 of them.

The prison facility has been dubbed “Monster Mansion” because it has housed some of the most infamous and dangerous prisoners in history. These include Harold Shipman, who is considered the most prolific mass murderer of the modern era, Charles Bronson, who is considered the most violent prisoner in the United Kingdom, and Robert Maudsley, who is the real-life “Hannibal the Cannibal.”