Former Welsh Rockstar Jailed for Child Sex Offenses Dies from Slit Throat in Prison Attack

Welsh singer Ian Watkins, former lead vocalist of the now-disbanded Lostprophets, died in a prison attack on 11 October.

Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison in 2013 for multiple child sex offenses, including the attempted rape of a baby. He admitted to conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven counts of taking, making, or possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act with an animal.

Two male inmates have been charged with Watkins’ murder at HM Prison Wakefield

The first suspect, a 43-year-old man, was serving a 24-year sentence for abduction and rape. The second suspect, aged 25, was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years for the murder of a man who was mistakenly identified as a drug debtor.

Both suspects reportedly slit Watkins’ throat, and the disgraced rock singer died from blood loss. Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff alerted police, according to the BBC.

This was not the first attack on Watkins. He was previously assaulted in prison in 2023 but survived, as the injuries were not life-threatening. The prison was placed under lockdown immediately following the recent incident.

Lostprophets was formed in 1997 in South Wales and became one of the UK’s most prominent rock bands before its eventual disbandment in 2013. The group parted ways after “nearly a year of coming to terms with their heartache” following Watkins’ arrest and charges related to child sexual offenses.