One of the most notorious paedophiles in the UK was taken hostage and savagely beaten over the weekend. Ian Watkins, the former frontman of the band Lost Prophets, was allegedly left ‘screaming in terror’ when three prisoners attacked him on Saturday.
It’s understood that the incident lasted for more than six hours at HMP Wakefield. His attackers, who have been described as ‘heavy-duty prisoners’, stabbed the disgraced star and ‘roughed him up’ with a series of kicks and punches.
A special forces task team were called in to defuse the situation, with all three of the inmates being restrained. Watkins, meanwhile, was taken to hospital with a set of serious injuries. It is reported that he suffered a significant stab wound to the neck.
One source familiar with the matter told the media…
“Ian Watkins was attacked today by three pretty heavy-duty cons. They got hold of him on B-wing and dragged him into a cell where they roughed him up and barricaded themselves in. He was screaming and was obviously terrified and in fear of his life.”
Watkins is currently 10 years into a 29-year jail sentence, handed down after a judge said the case ‘plumbed new depths of depravity’. Amongst a string of sickening offences, he was also charged with the attempted rape of an 11-month-old child.
The news sent shockwaves across the world. Lost Prophets had a global audience, and a set of chart-topping albums to boot. In a rather feeble defence, Mr. Watkins claims to have no memory of his deplorable conduct, as he was ‘high on crystal meth’ throughout it all.
It’s an argument that does not hold up in court. The Welshman still has almost two decades of a custodial sentence left to serve, and will be in his mid-sixties before he can be considered for release. Such a move, however, is likely to face some pushback.