Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dead after prison attack in the U.K.

Disgraced rock frontman Ian Watkins has been found dead in prison after a fatal stabbing inside HMP Wakefield, ending the life of one of music's infamous figures.

The former Lostprophets singer, once at the helm of one of the U.K.'s biggest 2000s rock acts, was serving a 29-year sentence for a series of horrific s*x crimes — involving children, babies, and animals — when he was murdered on Oct. 11 at age 48.

Per the West Yorkshire Police, Ian Watkins was stabbed by an unidentified person or persons and was declared dead at the scene. Sources confirmed that two inmates, both men aged 25 and 43, were arrested due to suspicion of murder.

The paedophile singer was also attacked with a knife and taken hostage by fellow prisoners in 2023, where he sustained non-life-threatening injuries, but the incident was resolved only after six hours.

Before his imprisonment, Ian Watkins stood as the frontman of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, which had immense album releases in the U.K., such as Start Something in 2004 and Liberation Transmission in 2006. The band quickly dissolved after Watkins' sentencing.

Some of his serious offences include his attempted r**e of a fan's baby. During a chat with another fan, he urged her to abuse her child. The former frontman also had a secret collection of child s**ual abuse videos, some of which he made himself.

Around that time, the police described Watkins as a "committed, organised paedophile." He was arrested following a search of his home in Pontypridd, carried out under a drug warrant in September 2012.

In December 2013, during his sentencing, Hon. Mr Justice John Royce said:

“Those who have appeared in these courts over many years see a large number of horrific cases. This case, however, breaks new ground. I am satisfied that you are a deeply corrupting influence, you are highly manipulative, you are a s**ual predator, you are dangerous. The public and, in particular, young females need protection from you.”

Ian Watkins found guilty of possessing mobile device in prison

In 2019, Ian Watkins was found guilty of possessing a mobile phone while in jail. However, he denied and claimed that two fellow inmates coerced him into keeping the device so that they could reach out to women who wrote to him and exploit them as a "revenue stream."

The disgraced rock star also described the two men as "murderers and handy," adding that he himself is locked up with "murderers, mass murderers, r**ists, paedophiles, serial killers - the worst of the worst." He told the Leeds Crown Court:

"You would not want to mess with them."

However, Judge Rodney Jameson QC said he didn't accept that Ian Watkins had the mobile device for five days as his life was threatened, despite the former frontman's attorney Gareth Burrows claiming that the phone "gave him some degree of freedom."

Jameson said:

"The fact of the matter is if there is not an appreciable penalty for having had a mobile phone in these circumstances then of course you would draw from that the lesson you could have another one and that is not a position I would want to encourage."

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