Ian Watkins, once frontman of the famed rock band Lostprophets, has been plunged into a critical condition following a horrific attack at HMP Wakefield, Mirror insiders reveal.
The 46-year-old singer, now reviled after his conviction for monstrous sex crimes against infants, was reportedly ambushed by fellow prisoners on Saturday morning. “The poor sod was held hostage, roughed up something fierce,” confided one prison source. “We’re talking life and death. He’ll be counting his lucky stars if he makes it through.”
It’s understood that the disgraced singer was overpowered by a gang of three prisoners shortly after 9 am, enduring brutal beatings and stabbing before prison officers intervened, freeing him almost six hours later.
Eyewitness accounts depict a harrowing scene where paramedics fought desperately to save Watkins’s life outside the prison gates. The Prison Service, while tight-lipped, confirmed an ongoing police investigation into the incident at HMP Wakefield.
Watkins’ meteoric rise to stardom crashed in 2013 when the world learned of his vile, predatory behaviour. The rock world reeled in disbelief as Watkins admitted to an attempted rape of an infant, among a slew of other heinous charges, even involving deranged fans who shockingly presented their infants as victims to their idol.
Cardiff Crown Court’s 2013 proceedings painted a nightmare image of Watkins. He pleaded guilty to an appalling 13 child sex offences, a revelation that included him conspiring to rape a child and even possession of a twisted pornographic image featuring an animal.
Handing down Watkins’ sentence, Mr Justice Royce remarked the case had ventured into “unprecedented depths of depravity”, condemning Watkins as having a “corrupting influence” and displaying a “stark lack of remorse”. The judge further warned of the singer’s pronounced risk to the public, particularly mothers with young children.