The former singer of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Ian Watkins, recently was attacked and killed in prison, according to authorities. Watkins was serving a sentence for multiple pedophilia-related offenses, including attempting to rape a baby.
Police in England said Watkins was murdered at His Majesty’s Prison Wakefield in Great Britain on the morning of Oct. 11.
‘Extensive inquiries remain ongoing in relation to the murder of Ian Watkins, and these arrests form part of that.’
Watkins, 48, was pronounced dead at HMP Wakefield despite being given medical treatment for injuries suffered during a “serious assault.”
Last week, British authorities announced the arrest of two men — 25-year-old Rashid Gedel and 43-year-old Samuel Dodsworth. Both suspects were charged with murder in connection with Watkins’ death.
The West Yorkshire Police Department said in a statement Tuesday that two other men — ages 23 and 39 — also were arrested in connection with Watkins’ death and charged with suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Police did not name the two new suspects.
The senior investigating officer in the alleged murder said the investigation is ongoing.
Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team with the West Yorkshire Police Department stated, “Extensive inquiries remain ongoing in relation to the murder of Ian Watkins, and these arrests form part of that.”
“Ian Watkins’ family are being updated as the investigation progresses,” Entwistle said. “However, we do not anticipate any immediate developments at this stage.”
A spokesperson for the His Majesty’s Prison Service told the BBC that it was aware of an incident at the prison but was “unable to comment further while the police investigate.”
The West Yorkshire Police Department and HMP Wakefield did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.
RELATED: Pair of convicted pedophiles — one who raped, murdered 3-year-old girl — die on same night in same prison
Photo by Marc Grimwade/WireImage
The Mirror noted that HMP Wakefield is known as “Monster Mansion,” which “houses some of the U.K.’s most infamous and dangerous criminals, ranging from serial killers to terrorists and habitual rapists.”
Watkins appeared in court in 2019 after a mobile phone reportedly was discovered in his prison cell. Watkins told magistrates that he was imprisoned among “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, pedophiles, serial killers — the worst of the worst,” according to the Guardian.
Previously, Watkins was stabbed in prison while serving time for his child sex crimes.
As Blaze News reported in August 2023, Watkins was held hostage by three fellow HMP Wakefield prisoners for several hours and stabbed.
The Mirror previously reported, “The prison had to wait until a ‘Tornado Crew’ could be assembled — specialist officers trained in hostage situations. The three prisoners kept Watkins hostage for almost six hours — it is believed the attack took place on B wing, where 70 percent of the prisoners are serving life and 20 percent serving 10 years or more. So serious were his injuries, it is understood that he received emergency treatment from paramedics in an ambulance on the prison estate.”
Watkins was arrested in December 2012 and hit with several child sex crime charges.
“During trial, it was revealed that the password to encrypted files on Watkins’ computer was ‘I F*K KIDZ,'” Rolling Stone previously reported.
In December 2013, Watkins pleaded guilty to 13 charges, including conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault of children, seven counts involving making or possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.
The judge during the sentencing hearing described Watkins’ crimes as “plumbing new depths of depravity,” according to the Guardian.
The disgraced singer was sentenced to 29 years in prison.
Watkins’ former band, Lostprophets, was founded in 1997 and topped the U.K. charts in 2006 after the release of its third album, “Liberation Transmission.” Lostprophets broke up in 2013 when Watkins was sentenced to prison.
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