A murder investigation is underway after the British police arrested two men on suspicion of killing former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins at a prison in northern England.
Watkins was was stabbed to death on Saturday morning within the prison premises, where the 48-year-old artist was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences.
The two suspects, aged 25 and 43, were detained following the stabbing, as reported by PTI.
Details of the attack
Emergency services were called to HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire on Saturday morning after Watkins was attacked with a knife. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prison sources said guards rushed to the scene but could not save him, describing it as a horrific scene with blood, alarms, and sirens blaring, a report by The Sun noted.
“Watkins has been killed in the most brutal way possible – and the attack was shocking, even by prison standards,” The Sun quoted a source as saying.
The singer was previously stabbed at the same prison in 2023, however he managed to escape without suffering any life-threatening injuries. During that attack, he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.
What were the charges against Ian Watkins?
In the year 2013, back when Watkins was 36-year-old had pleaded guilty to a total of 13 charges relating to child abuse at Cardiff Crown Court in Wales. The counts included trying to rape a baby, sexually touching a 1-year-old, encouraging a fan to abuse her child, and making child pornography.
At the time of his sentencing, Judge John Royce called Watkins a “manipulative and dangerous sexual predator” who had abused his fame to help satisfy his “insatiable lust,” PTI reported.
“Those who have appeared in these courts over many years see a large number of horrific cases,” Royce said in sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court. “This case, however, breaks new ground.”
Watkins was the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, which had topped the UK charts in 2006 with the band’s third album, “Liberation Transmission.” The band announced its disbanding following Watkins arrest.