Ian Watkins, the former Lostprophets singer convicted of numerous child sex offences, has died after being attacked in HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire. Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year prison term (plus six years on license) for multiple sex crimes, including the attempted rape of a baby.
West Yorkshire Police said they were called at 9:39 a.m. on Saturday, October 11, following reports of a serious assault. Watkins was found with fatal injuries; despite medical attention, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
According to reports, Watkins was attacked by another inmate with a knife. Some sources say the attack involved a slashing of his neck or throat, though official police statements have not confirmed all details.
Watkins had been previously targeted in prison. In 2023, he was taken hostage by three other inmates at the same prison and stabbed during that incident; he survived.
The prison was put into lockdown following the attack, and a homicide investigation is underway. Watkins’s convictions were among the most severe for sexual offences in UK legal history. His sentencing judge described his crimes as having “plumbed new depths of depravity.”
