Reason of Child Sex Offender Musician's Prison Death Revealed

Police Department

Shamed Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins passed away after being stabbed in the neck in an reported prison attack, an inquest has heard.

Watkins, 48, succumbed on 11 October after being assaulted at HMP Wakefield, where he had been serving a 29-year prison sentence for child sex crimes including the attempted rape of a baby.

The inquest, opened earlier at Wakefield Coroner's Court, was postponed pending the completion of an associated murder case.

Two men have been charged with murder in relation to Watkins' death while two other men, aged 23 and 39, arrested earlier this week on allegation of plot to murder were sent back to prison as investigations continued.

Coroner Statement

Coroner Oliver Longstaff said Watkins, who was identified by his full name of Ian David Karslake Watkins during the short hearing, had been declared deceased at the West Yorkshire prison by an on-call doctor and was officially recognized by a prison guard.

Mr Longstaff said paramedics were called to the jail "after a report he had been stabbed in the throat".

The examiner said a post-mortem report gave the reason of death as an wound to the throat.

'Depths of Depravity'

In 2013 at Cardiff Crown Court, Watkins denied rape but confessed to the sexual assault and sexual assault of a child under 13.

He admitted 13 offences, including conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving creating, making or holding inappropriate images of children and one of possessing an extreme image involving a sex act on an creature.

Prosecutors had described him as a man corrupted by celebrity, drugs, and influence who had perpetrated crimes "exceeding imagination."

Mr Justice Royce said the case had broken "new ground" and "descended into new levels of depravity".

Watkins was also stabbed in prison in 2023. Following that incident, he was taken to medical facility with wounds which were not life-threatening.

Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, appeared in court last week charged with his murder, but were not asked to enter responses.

Background of Ian Watkins?

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Watkins was formerly one of Wales' most recognisable artists - the frontman of the rock band Lostprophets.

The band formed in Pontypridd in 1997, and distributed millions of albums across the world.

They produced five studio albums, one of which reached number one in the UK.

The group also had some achievement in the US, with their second and third albums attaining the top-40.

They disbanded promptly after Watkins was found guilty in 2013.

His former group members spoke publicly about their surprise and revulsion.

Bassist Stuart Richardson said in 2014: "Although I was completely finished with him, I hoped it was all a mistake, he was not guilty, he had to be.

"The first time, we knew the band was done. You can't return from that."

The other bandmates and American singer Geoff Rickly created a new band, No Devotion, shortly thereafter.