Ian Watkins, former lead singer for the Lostprophets, was left clinging to life following a stabbing attack in jail, Breitbart reported. The 46-year-old is serving 29 years in a British prison for child sex crimes, including the attempted rape of an infant.
The convicted sex offender was attacked on Aug. 5 by three of his fellow inmates. The trio reportedly tortured Watkins for six hours and beat him severely before stabbing him multiple times.
"He was found by officers after being held hostage and battered on Saturday morning. He’s in a life-threatening condition and there are fears he could die," a source close to the matter initially said.
"If he survives, he’ll have been very lucky." The facility, His Majesty's Prison Wakefield, said in a statement that law enforcement was still "investigating an incident" but provided no further details.
"We are unable to comment further while the police investigate," an official from HMP Wakefield said. A week after the attack, the prison reported that Watkins' injuries were no longer life-threatening.
Watkins' former girlfriend, Jo Mjadzelics, noted that the attack wasn't a shock considering the nature of his crimes. "My only reaction is simply that I cannot believe it took them so long, particularly in Wakefield Prison."
The singer of the now-defunct rock band has been behind bars since his 2013 conviction. Watkins was charged with 13 sex crimes against children, including the attempted rape of a one-year-old baby.
He had also planned to sexually abuse two other infants with the consent of their mothers. Watkins reportedly drugged his victims to make them more compliant during the assaults, including by blowing the smoke from crystal meth into one child's face.
Other offenses included seven counts of possession or creation of child pornography, the BBC reported at the time of the trial. One disturbing image found in his possession involved sexual activity with an animal.
Judge John Royce sentenced Watkins to 29 years in prison and an additional six years of probation based on his crimes. "Those who have appeared in these courts over many years, see here, a large number of horrific cases," Royce said at sentencing.
"This case breaks new ground. Any decent person... will experience shock, revulsion and incredulity," he added.
The judge said that despite the guilty plea, Watkins was a "classic case that the evidence was so overwhelming" that he wouldn't get a reduced sentence for his admissions. Royce added that Watkins showed a "complete lack of remorse" for his heinous crimes.
Watkins apparently gained access to his victims by using his celebrity status to manipulate their mothers. He was the frontman for the popular Welsh rock band that enjoyed success from the 1990s through the early 2000s until the group disbanded shortly before he was sentenced.
Prison justice isn't moral, but it demonstrates that there is honor among inmates when it comes to men like Watkins. He victimized the most innocent among us, and it's tempting to celebrate that it was now his turn to become the victim.
