Two Men Arrested After Convicted Paedophile, Lostprophets Singer Ian Watkins Killed In Prison

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Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after convicted paedophile and former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was killed in prison on Saturday (11 October).

Over the weekend, West Yorkshire Police confirmed that Watkins was attacked by a fellow inmate at the HMP Wakefield Prison and died from his injuries. Watkins was 48 and was serving a 29-year sentence, plus an additional six years on parole, after he pleaded guilty to child sex offences in December 2013.

“At 9.39 am this morning (Saturday), police were called by staff at HMP Wakefield reporting an assault on a prisoner,” a police statement said, per NME. “Emergency services attended, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating, and inquiries remain ongoing at the scene.”

West Yorkshire Police arrested two men, aged 25 and 43, on suspicion of murder. A spokesperson for the prison hasn’t issued a comment while the investigation continues.

In 2023, Watkins was stabbed multiple times in prison. At the time, it was reported that he had been taken hostage by three other inmates and sustained numerous stab wounds. However, they were deemed “not life-threatening.”

Watkins was serving a 29-year prison sentence for a string of heinous crimes, most of which related to the sexual assault of young children.

In December 2013, he pleaded guilty to 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby, conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven offences of possessing indecent images of children, and one of possessing an extreme image involving a sex image on an animal.

Upon his sentencing, it was announced that Watkins would be eligible for parole in 2031. One senior investigating officer involved with his case described Watkins as a “committed, organised paedophile” and “potentially the most dangerous sex offender” he’d ever crossed paths with.

Before his conviction, Watkins was the frontman of Lostprophets from 1997 to 2013; the band disbanded immediately after his arrest. The band’s remaining members went on to form the band No Devotion. The band released their second album, No Oblivion, in 2022.