Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins is reportedly recovering from stab wounds sustained in a recent incident at HMP Wakefield prison. The disgraced singer is serving a 29-year sentence for a range of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.
West Yorkshire Police have since provided an update on the former singer’s condition, confirming that his injuries are not life-threatening. They are continuing to investigate the incident, which took place early Saturday morning (August 5th).
Watkins was sentenced in December 2013 after pleading guilty to 13 sex offences at Cardiff Crown Court. These included conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.
The singer’s behaviour has been a cause of concern for some time now, with reports emerging in 2017 that he had been grooming a mother from his prison cell. The 21-year-old’s child was subsequently taken into care after social services were alerted of her contact with Watkins. At the time, prison officials had reportedly found “nothing untoward” in their exchanges via letters and emails.
The NSPCC’s response was swift and damning. “We’re sickened,” they said. “It’s utterly bewildering that he could carry on grooming. It shows contempt for children he abused, and raises serious questions about supervision.”
Given the vile nature of Watkins’ crimes, it is no surprise that the public has been so concerned for the safety of prisoners in his vicinity. It is a relief to learn that his injuries are not life-threatening, and that the authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.
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