Rock singer Ian Watkins, a convicted pedophile, was killed in a prison attack in the UK.
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He was serving a 29-year sentence at HMP Wakefield for child sex offenses. According to the BBC, West Yorkshire Police responded to the prison on Saturday morning after a prisoner was assaulted and pronounced dead at the scene.
Watkins was jailed in December 2013 for multiple child sex offenses, including the attempted rape of a baby.
Another prison inmate attacked the Lostprophets singer with a knife, per TMZ. Detectives are investigating the incident.
Watkins was 48.
The BBC reported he was previously attacked in prison in August 2023, but his injuries were not life-threatening.
Meanwhile, the latest attack at Wakefield Prison occurred less than two weeks after a report on the facility revealed a significant increase in violence.
“Many prisoners told us they felt unsafe, particularly older men convicted of sexual offences who increasingly shared the prison with a growing cohort of younger prisoners,” a report from the chief inspector of prisons said, per the BBC.
Singer Ian Watkins Received 29 Years in Prison Back in 2013
Watkins received a 29-year prison sentence, plus six years on licence. His two co-defendants, the mothers of children he abused, were jailed for 14 and 17 years.
Watkins admitted to attempted rape, sexual assault of a child under 13, and conspiring to rape a child. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting children, seven counts related to indecent images of children, and possessing extreme pornographic images involving animals. He denied the charge of rape.
In 2014, Watkins appealed to have his prison term reduced, but judges rejected it.
In his 20s, Watkins rose to fame as the frontman of Lostprophets. The group sold millions of albums and performed to massive arena crowds. Formed in 1997, the Welsh rock band released five studio albums, including a U.K. No. 1 and two top 10 singles.
Their second and third albums achieved success in the United States, both reaching the top 40.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.