Two Men Arrested Following Death of Lostprophets Singer Ian Watkins in Prison Attack

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after former Lostprophets singer and convicted child sex offender Ian Watkins died in prison.

Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year sentence at HMP Wakefield, with an additional six years on licence, after admitting a series of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

He was initially arrested following a drugs warrant executed at his Pontypridd home on 21 September 2012, during which authorities seized numerous computers, mobile phones, and storage devices.

A statement from West Yorkshire Police said:

“Detectives have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man at HMP Wakefield. Officers were called by prison staff at 9:39 am this morning (Saturday 11 October) to reports of a serious assault on a prisoner. A 48-year-old man was found with severe injuries and, despite receiving medical attention, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody.”

Sources confirmed to the PA news agency that Watkins was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for the Prison Service said they could not comment while the police investigation is ongoing.

Watkins had previously been stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non-life-threatening injuries after reportedly being held hostage by three other inmates. He was freed six hours later by prison officers.

When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the judge handed him an extended sentence, noting that his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity.”

In 2019, after being caught with a mobile phone in prison, Watkins told the court he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers—the worst of the worst.”

 

Source: The Guardian

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