Second police force criticised over paedophile rock star

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has found that Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins could have been caught and brought to justice nearly four years earlier if South Wales Police had properly investigated reports from a series of informants.

In a damning report, the watchdog details how the force missed a series of opportunities to put a stop to the singer's campaign of abuse against children in the years before his arrest.

Officers were found to have made 'errors and omissions' and in some instances failed to 'carry out even rudimentary investigation' into allegations made by Watkins' ex-girlfriend Joanne Mjadzelics, from Doncaster, and five others between 2008 and September 2012.

South Yorkshire Police was criticised in an earlier report over its handling of the allegations by Ms Mjadzelics.

Watkins was jailed for 29 years in December 2013 with a further six years on licence, after admitting a string of sex offences, 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 September 2012, when a large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized.

Analysis of the equipment uncovered Watkins depraved behaviour.

Ms Mjadzelics first reported Watkins to the authorities in December 2008 and was video interviewed in March 2009 when she told officers she had a message on her mobile phone from Watkins about his desire to sexually abuse children.

The report says the phone was not examined 'on the basis that her report was malicious'.

Ms Mjadzelics was cleared of possessing indecent images of children in January 2015, having told Cardiff Crown Court she was trying to entrap the depraved singer.