Ian Watkins, former vocalist of Lostprophets and convicted pedophile, was murdered in prison on October 11. He was serving a 29-year sentence at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. Watkins was stabbed to death by two inmates and was pronounced dead on the scene when police arrived.
The two inmates were arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of murder, while the prison was sent into immediate lockdown. According to a West Yorkshire Police spokesperson, an investigation is underway. This attack comes almost two weeks after a recent report showed that violence had “increased markedly” at the prison.
Now, Watkins’ former bandmate Lee Gaze has responded to news about his death. Gaze and Watkins started the band in Pontypridd, Wales, in 1997 after the breakup of their former band Fleshbind. Mike Lewis, Stuart Richardson, and Mike Chiplin joined later.
Gaze responded to several fans on Twitter, sharing prayer emojis in the replies. After the news broke, people expressed support for the remaining band members. They went on to form the band No Devotion in 2014 with vocalist Geoff Rickly.
Fans Share Words of Support For Lee Gaze and Former Lostprophets Members
The support came solely for Lee Gaze, Mike Lewis, Stuart Richardson, and Mike Chiplin as the news broke. There were a few replies that openly condemned Watkins, but mostly fans shared love for the remaining guys instead.
“Hey bud hope your [sic] well just wanted to send my best wishes to you and all the other boys at this time,” one person wrote to Gaze. “I felt very strange the other day hearing the news…justice was finally served but at the same time it should never have ended this way.”
Another person wrote, “Hope you are ok bud must be wank to live and go through this all again. Onwards, dont [sic] look back.” Gaze replied, “Onwards and upwards.”
In July, Gaze started a thread on Twitter addressing Ian Watkins. “It’s been 13 years since my band ended in the most unimaginable circumstances and it’s still painful to think about,” he wrote. “Things could’ve been so different.”
Police Had Numerous Opportunities to Arrest Ian Watkins, But It Took Years To Finally Convict
The reality of Watkins’ actions is shocking, as is his lack of remorse at the time of his sentencing. Lostprophets disbanded in 2013, immediately after Watkins was convicted of multiple child sex offenses. His ex-girlfriend, Joanne Mjadzelics, who helped build the case against him, recently said she was “relieved” to hear the news of his murder.
The South Wales Police were given numerous opportunities to arrest Ian Watkins after Mjadzelics provided them with ample evidence. But it took four years before anything happened. Instead, leads were dropped, evidence was dismissed, and Mjadzelics’ reports were painted as “malicious.”
After Watkins was convicted, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) released a report on the incident. The IPCC found numerous instances where allegations were not looked into at all. Additionally, there were several times where the case was handed to the wrong department. Instead of child sex abuse investigators, it was given to a safer neighborhood team that was not trained to handle child abuse cases.
“[The] report highlights a number of failings in which information about Watkins was investigated between 2008 and 2012 which the force entirely accepts and regrets,” said South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan in 2015.
During his sentencing, Watkins was revealed to be a “committed and determined” pedophile. He often used his fame, status, and drugs to manipulate and abuse young fans. Additionally, he was in possession of explicit videos and images of children. Of his numerous offenses, the most heinous is the attempted rape of an 11-month-old.
During the trial, the judge declared, “I am satisfied that you are a deeply corrupting influence, you are highly manipulative, you are a sexual predator, you are dangerous.”
Photo by Nigel Crane/Redferns
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