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Police issue Ian Watkins statement after former Lostprophets’ frontman stabbed in prison

Published 14:10 7 Aug 2023 BST

Updated 14:10 7 Aug 2023 BST

Joseph Loftus
Police issue Ian Watkins statement after former Lostprophets’ frontman stabbed in prison

Homenews

Police have now issued a statement.

On Saturday evening, reports emerged that the disgraced former Lostprophets' singer, Ian Watkins, had been stabbed in jail.

The alleged incident occurred when Watkins was taken hostage by a group of prisoners who were apparently irritated about him giving guitar lessons to other inmates.

The stand-off reportedly went on for hours until a specially trained unit entered the cell in which Watkins was being held.

By the time Watkins was taken out of the cell, he had already been stabbed multiple times, according to reports.

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Initially it was reported that Watkins was in a critical condition with life threatening injuries.

Now, West Yorkshire Police have issued a statement on the incident, saying: "West Yorkshire Police were notified by staff at HMP Wakefield of an assault on a prisoner on the afternoon of Saturday, 5 August.

"He was taken to hospital where his injuries are not understood to be life-threatening. Enquiries are ongoing."

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Watkins, who was the lead singer of Welsh band, Lostprophets, was jailed back in 2013 for a series of extreme sexual offences against children. He was locked up for 29 years.

In the aftermath of the attack, Watkin's former girlfriend, Jo Mjadzelics, the woman who first came forward about his crimes, said she was surprised the attack took so long.

In conversation with the Mirror she said: “My only reaction is simply that I cannot believe it took them so long, particularly in Wakefield Prison."

Mjadzelics was in a relationship with Watkins from 2006 and repeatedly tried to warn the authorities about him but was continuously ignored.

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Watkins was eventually arrested in September 2012 when police entered his home on a drug warrant.

During his initial sentencing, Mr Justice Royce said that the case 'plunged into new depths of depravity'.

Judge's rejected an appeal made by Watkins in 2014 to reduce his sentence by half.

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