Rise and fall of Ian Watkins – The disgraced Lostprophets singer jailed for horrific sex crimes
Disgraced rock star Ian Watkins was stabbed to death at HMP Wakefield.
Sources have confirmed that the convicted pedophile and former Lostprophets frontman was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning.
Emergency services were sent to the prison in West Yorkshire but Watkins, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 48-year-old, once the singer of a popular alternative rock band that sold millions of albums worldwide, was sentenced to 29 years in prison with a further six years on licence, in December 2013, after admitting a string of sexual offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
Below, we look at his rise to fame in the music world, the horrific crimes that put him behind bars, and his death in prison.
Reach fame in a rock band
Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Watkins attended Hawthorn High School with future bandmate Mike Lewis.
Alternative rock band Lostprophets made its debut in 1997 with Watkins as lead vocalist and went on to release five albums between 2000 and 2010.
Selling millions of albums worldwide, the band has had two singles reach the top 10 in the UK, number one on the US alternative chart and won numerous music awards. They released their fifth and final album, Weapons, in April 2012.
The band would perform their last concert together in Newport, Wales, on 14 November that year, just a month before Watkins was charged.
criminal investigation
Watkin’s ex-girlfriend, Joanne Mjadzelics, first reported him to authorities in December 2008 and was interviewed in March 2009. Mjadzelics told officers he received a message on his cell phone from Watkins about his desire to sexually abuse children.
However, it was later revealed that the phone was not examined “on the grounds that the report was malicious”.
The disgraced rock star was arrested in 2012 in connection with various drug charges; South Wales Police discovered child abuse images stored on his computer during a search of his home.
The crimes he pleaded guilty to included the attempted rape of an 11-month-old child and a sickening video of sexual abuse filmed in a London hotel room.
In 2017, four years after he was jailed, the police watchdog revealed that he could have been caught and brought to justice nearly four years earlier if detectives had properly investigated reports from a number of informants.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said: [the phone] Ian Watkins was found to be holding a message he sent to Ms Mjadzelics on 12 August 2007, which read: ‘WISH LIST OF A 12 YEAR OLD F*** RAPE TWO YOUNG TWINERS’.
“The message corroborated Ms. Mjadzelics’ allegations that Watkins had expressed a ‘desire to exploit children.’”
Conviction and sentence
Watkins was initially facing 24 separate charges; These were all related to sexual offences. On November 26, 2013, he pleaded guilty to 11 counts, including attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
The then 36-year-old changed his plea at the last minute and made a series of admissions ahead of his trial at Cardiff Crown Court. The charges included sexually touching a one-year-old child and encouraging a fan to molest his own child during a webcam chat.
Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison in December 2013 and given a further six years on license. While awaiting sentencing, he was quoted as saying by prison officials that everything was “megalolz” during a telephone conversation with a friend.
Described as a determined and determined pedophile, the court heard he used his power over fawning young fans to exploit them and persuaded two women to help satisfy what the judge described as his “insatiable lust”.
Mr Justice Royce said: “I am satisfied that you are a highly corrupting influence, highly manipulative, a sexual predator and dangerous.”
He appealed in 2014, claiming that the penalty was “too high”, but was rejected.
Speaking after the sentencing, former bandmate and childhood friend Mike Lewis said: “I tried to read the judge’s report. I couldn’t even finish it. To think about the people I grew up with, who I’ve been friends with my whole life, who I know her mother from, and how close our families were – to even imagine her… I find it utterly incredible that she had the ability to do those things. Obviously she did, but how could anyone…
“I don’t understand, I’m afraid.”
Post
A report by the IPCC watchdog revealed a number of missed opportunities in the investigation into Watkins. These included:
- The alleged victim and her family were not visited by officers following Ms Mjadzelics’ complaint in 2008.
- Reports from Crimestoppers in 2010 and reports from two witnesses that year and in 2012 corroborated Ms Mjadzelics’ statement, although “no progress appears to have been made”
- No action was taken following Ms. Mjadzelics’ email complaint to her ACPO inbox in 2011 that her reports were not properly investigated.
Life behind bars
Watkins faced another trial in 2019 and was sentenced to 10 months in prison on top of the sentence he was already serving for child sex crimes after being found guilty of possessing a cell phone in prison.
Watkins produced the 8cm-long GT-Star in March 2018 following a strip search at HMP Wakefield.
Watkins claimed that two inmates forced him to hold the phone so they could contact women who sent him fan mail and use them as an “income stream.” In his statement the defendant refused to name the men but said: “You don’t want to mess with them.”
At the hearing he also claimed his “life was threatened” and said his fellow inmates were “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, pedophiles, serial killers – the worst.”
On Saturday 5 August 2023, Watkins was attacked at HMP Wakefield and a source said: Mirror He was held hostage by three other prisoners.
Prison officials reportedly threw a stun grenade into the cell where he was held and eventually released him several hours later.
It was reported that the person who was stabbed in the neck was taken to Leeds General Infirmary. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, police said at the time.
death in prison
On Saturday, October 11, 2025, Watkins was again attacked with a knife by another inmate and this time he did not survive.
Sources said that the prison was quarantined immediately after the incident.
Police are investigating.
A Prison Service spokesman said on Saturday: “We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield this morning. We cannot comment further while police are investigating.”
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “At 9.39am this morning staff at HMP Wakefield called police to report an assault on a prisoner.
“Emergency services arrived and the man was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
“Homicide Squad and Major Investigation Team detectives are continuing the investigation and investigations at the scene are continuing.”
