Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins dies in prison attack while serving time for child sex attacks
Disgraced Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins - jailed over sex offences including the abuse of a Doncaster baby - has died in a prison attack.
Two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder following his death at HMP Wakefield yesterday morning.
The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, it is understood.
Paedophile rock star Watkins was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences at the time of the fatal attack.
The 48-year-old was jailed in December 2013 after admitting a string of crimes - including the attempted rape of a fan's baby.
The disgraced singer was arrested following the execution of a drugs warrant at his Pontypridd home in Wales on September 21, 2012, when a large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized.
Analysis of the equipment uncovered Watkins' depraved behaviour.
Watkins and the Doncaster baby's mother, named only as Woman A, abused the child together.
Woman A was sentenced to 14 years' custody over the abuse.
Another of Watkins' accomplices, Woman B, the mother of another child the twisted paedophile abused, was jailed for 17 years.
In 2017, a report from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded that South Yorkshire Police officers in Doncaster failed to take seriously complaints made by Watkins' former girlfriend, Joanne Mjadzelics, who lived in Doncaster at the time.
The report concluded that the force’s failings “put a child at risk of further abuse of further abuse for several months”.
Ms Mjadzelics made repeated allegations to South Yorkshire Police between March and May 2012, but officers failed to act on each occasion. This followed similar treatment by South Wales Police, to which she made repeated allegations between 2008 and 2009.
Following the fatal prison attack yesterday, a spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Detectives have launched a murder investigation after the death of a man in HMP Wakefield.
"Officers were called by staff at the prison at 9.39am this morning to reports of a serious assault on a prisoner.
"A man aged 48 was found with serious injuries. Despite medical attention he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Two men aged 25 and 43 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody.
"Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating and inquiries remain ongoing."
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield which took place this morning.
"We are unable to comment further while the police investigate."
And in 2019 he had an additional 10 months added to his prison sentences after he was found guilty of possessing a mobile phone in prison.
Watkins claimed two inmates forced him to hold on to the phone so they could contact women who sent him fan mail in order to use them as a "revenue stream".
In his evidence, the defendant refused to name the men, but said: "You would not want to mess with them."
He also said his fellow inmates were "murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers - the worst of the worst".
Judge Rodney Jameson KC said he did not accept Watkins had the phone, which was in his possession for five days, because he had been threatened.