Ian David Karslake Watkins (born 30 July 1977) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the lead vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band
Lostprophets
Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The band was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike ...
.
In 2013, he was sentenced to 29 years of imprisonment for multiple sexual offences, including the sexual assault of young children and babies,
a sentence later augmented by ten months for being found guilty of having a mobile phone in prison. Lostprophets disbanded shortly thereafter and the other members formed the band
No Devotion
No Devotion are a Welsh-American rock band formed in Pontypridd and Cardiff in 2014. The group is currently composed of American vocalist Geoff Rickly of the band Thursday, along with Stu Richardson and Lee Gaze, former members of the Welsh ba ...
, with American singer
Geoff Rickly
Geoffrey William Rickly (born March 8, 1979) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of rock band Thursday. Rickly is also a member of hardcore punk band United Nations, and the alternative rock group No Devotion wit ...
.
Early life
Ian David Karslake Watkins was born on 30 July 1977 in
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
.
[Ian Watkins](_blank)
BBC (26 November 2013). Retrieved on 2016-01-24. He later moved to
Pontypridd
() (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...
, where he attended
Hawthorn High School
Hawthorn High School ( cy, Ysgol Uwchradd Y Hawthorn) is an English-medium comprehensive school in the village of Hawthorn near Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It was filmed by the CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Chi ...
with future Lostprophets bandmate
Mike Lewis.
He gained a
first-class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
degree in graphic design from the
University of Wales, Newport
The University of Wales, Newport ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd), was a university based in Newport, South Wales, before the merger that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university had two campuses in Newport, Caerleon ...
.
Career
Lewis' and Watkins's mutual enjoyment of rock and metal music strengthened their friendship, leading them to form a group as teenagers in 1991 called Aftermath, a
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band that played in a shed in Watkins's garden.
Whilst spending time in the local
Ynysangharad Park
Ynysangharad Park is a cricket ground in the centre of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located in Ynysangharad War Memorial Park.
The ground was first established in 1870, but the first recorded match on the ground was in 1924, wh ...
, where (17 years later)
Lostprophets
Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The band was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike ...
would headline
The Full Ponty
The Full Ponty was a music festival first held in Pontypridd on the 27–28 May 2006. The name ''Full Ponty'' is a pun on '' Full Monty'', and ''Ponty'', the local nickname of the town. The festival is associated with The Pop Factory and is held a ...
festival, Watkins was introduced to future bandmate
Lee Gaze
Lee James Gaze (born 21 May 1975 in Pontypridd, Wales) is a Welsh musician. He is the lead guitarist, and also one of the founding members, of the Welsh/American alternative rock band No Devotion and previously a member of the Welsh rock band L ...
through a mutual friend. Having abandoned Aftermath, which made two live appearances in its lifespan of two years, Watkins and Gaze decided to form a new band called Fleshbind, based on their American
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
influences. The band played several shows, including one supporting
Feeder in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, but the group was short-lived.
Watkins reunited with Mike Lewis as a drummer in a hardcore band called Public Disturbance, formed in 1995. By this time, Watkins and Gaze had left Fleshbind to create their own band, Lost Prophets, who made their live debut in May 1997 alongside Public Disturbance, with Watkins as the lead vocalist. In 1998, Watkins left Public Disturbance to concentrate on the newly named lostprophets (all lower-case letters).
In 2003, Watkins was featured on the
Hoobastank
Hoobastank (sometimes stylized as h∞bastank, and originally known as Hoobustank) is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, by lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist ...
song "
Out of Control" along with
Jamie Oliver
James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants.
Oliver reache ...
, who was by then a member of Lostprophets.
On
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
2008, Watkins took part in a concert for Kidney Wales Foundation and stated that his reasons for being involved were as a result of his mother needing a
kidney transplant
Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...
: "Having that direct experience is why I wanted to get more involved with Kidney Wales and organise a fundraising concert on New Year's Eve." The concert featured Welsh bands
the Blackout,
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff. The band's name was inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from the Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles " Gi ...
, and
Attack! Attack!
Watkins was also featured on the Blackout's song "It's High Tide Baby!" from their debut studio album ''
We Are the Dynamite
''We Are the Dynamite'' is the debut studio album by Welsh post-hardcore band the Blackout, released on 1 October 2007 by Fierce Panda Records, their final release on the label. The album sold 12,000 copies in its first week of release.Kelham 2 ...
'' (2007), and also accompanied them on tour.
In 2009, Watkins started a remixing
side project
In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style.
Usually these projects emphasize a ...
called "L'Amour La Morgue". He released 17
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
es by artists such as
the Killers
The Killers are an American rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingd ...
,
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
,
Young Guns,
Magic Wands
Magic Wands is an American Rock music, rock band, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and currently based in Los Angeles, California.
History
The band was formed by Chris Valentine (guitar, vocals) and Dexy Valentine (guitar, keyboards, vocals) ...
,
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...
, and
Bring Me the Horizon
Bring Me the Horizon (often abbreviated as BMTH) are a British rock band formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group consists of lead vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardist Jordan Fis ...
. He also released a free
mixtape
A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...
, which was available online, along with a free download of a song that was premiered at a fashion show in 2008.
Lostprophets released five studio albums: ''
The Fake Sound of Progress
''The Fake Sound of Progress'' (stylized as ''thefakesoundofprogress'') is the debut studio album by the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, originally released on 27 November 2000 through Visible Noise. The album would be released in 2001 by Columbi ...
'' (2000), ''
Start Something
''Start Something'' is the second studio album by the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, released on 2 February 2004 through Visible Noise in the United Kingdom and South Korea. The album was released internationally on 5 February 2004. The band bega ...
'' (2004), ''
Liberation Transmission
''Liberation Transmission'' is the third studio album by Welsh rock band Lostprophets, released on 26 June 2006 by Visible Noise.
Recording
This is the first Lostprophets album recorded without original drummer Mike Chiplin. Josh Freese drummed ...
'' (2006), ''
The Betrayed'' (2010), and ''
Weapons
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
'' (2012). They toured extensively in Europe and America, playing shows such as the
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
in 2004, 2007, 2009, and 2010.
Sexual offences and criminal activity
Conviction
On 19 December 2012, Watkins was charged at Cardiff magistrates court with
conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...
to engage in sexual activity with a one-year-old girl and possession and/or distribution of
indecent images of children
Child pornography laws in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are covered by the Protection of Children Act 1978 ("the 1978 Act"), which made it illegal to take, make, distribute, show, or possess for the intent of showing or distributing ...
and "extreme
animal pornography
Zoophilia is a paraphilia involving a sexual fixation on non-human animals. Bestiality is cross-species sexual activity between humans and non-human animals. The terms are often used interchangeably, but some researchers make a distinction b ...
". He was remanded in custody, as were his two female co-accused. His barrister said Watkins would deny the accusations. On 31 December, he appeared at
Cardiff Crown Court
Cardiff Crown Court ( cy, Llys y Goron Caerdydd) is a historic building situated in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. The building is a Grade I listed building. As a Crown Court venue it is part of the Wales Circuit of Her Majesty's Courts Servi ...
via video link from
HM Prison Parc
HM Prison Parc (Welsh: ) is a Category B men's private prison and Young Offenders Institution in Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. Parc Prison is operated by G4S, and is the only privately operated prison in Wales.
History
The site was previously ...
in
Bridgend
Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...
, and was remanded in custody until 11 March 2013. The case was adjourned until May, with the trial date set for 15 July. At a hearing on 3 June, he denied the charges via a video link.
On 6 June, it was announced that the trial would start on 25 November and was expected to last a month. A previous application for the court venue to be moved outside Wales was denied. On 26 November, Watkins pleaded guilty to attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13, but not guilty to rape. This was accepted by the prosecution. He further pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault involving children; six counts of taking, making, or possessing indecent images of children; and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.
His victims included a baby boy,
and he sent a text message to the mother of one victim that said, "If you belong to me, so does your baby."
The
South Wales Police
South Wales Police ( cy, Heddlu De Cymru) is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. It is headquartered in Bridgend.
The force was formed as South Wales Constabulary on 1 June 1969, by the amalgamation of the former Glamorgan Const ...
investigation into Watkins, codenamed "Operation Globe", required the co-operation of
GCHQ
Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the Unit ...
to decrypt a hidden drive on his laptop, which was found to contain video evidence of his abuses.
On 27 November, the day after his guilty plea had been accepted by the prosecution, Watkins referred to his sex offences as "mega
lolz
LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud and a popular element of Internet slang. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to- ...
" in a recorded phone call to a female fan made from
HM Prison Parc
HM Prison Parc (Welsh: ) is a Category B men's private prison and Young Offenders Institution in Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. Parc Prison is operated by G4S, and is the only privately operated prison in Wales.
History
The site was previously ...
.
A sentencing hearing was held at Cardiff on 18 December 2013. In
mitigation
Mitigation is the reduction of something harmful or the reduction of its harmful effects. It may refer to measures taken to reduce the harmful effects of hazards that remain ''in potentia'', or to manage harmful incidents that have already occur ...
, Watkins's barrister, Sally O'Neill QC, said that Watkins had no recollection of the case involving the attempted rape, but had "belatedly realised the gravity of what happened" after having developed an "obsession" with videoing himself having sex.
Justice
John Royce sentenced Watkins to 29 years in prison, with eligibility to apply for parole after serving two thirds of his prison term, followed by six years of supervised release. His two co-defendants, the mothers of his victims, received sentences of 14 and 17 years imprisonment.
The judge said the case "plunged into new depths of depravity".
A senior investigating officer on the case described Watkins as a "committed, organised
paedophile
Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...
" and "potentially the most dangerous
sex offender
A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crime ...
" he had ever seen.
Watkins was transferred from HM Prison Parc, where he had been incarcerated while on remand, to
HM Prison Wakefield
His Majesty's Prison Wakefield is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category A men's prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been nicknamed the "Monster Mansion" du ...
to begin serving his sentence. In order to be closer to his mother after she had a kidney transplant, he was transferred to
HM Prison Long Lartin
HM Prison Long Lartin is a Category A men's prison, located in the village of South Littleton (near Evesham) in the Wychavon district in Worcestershire, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
History
Long Lartin was opened a ...
on 25 January 2014. He was subsequently transferred to
HM Prison Rye Hill
HM Prison Rye Hill is a Category B men's private prison, operated by G4S. Rye Hill has exclusively housed sex offenders since 2014. The prison is next to HMP Onley and Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre, south of Rugby, in the parish of Barby, ...
. On 9 October 2017, Watkins was accused of
grooming a young mother from prison. As of March 2018, he is back at Wakefield.
Police complaints
An
Independent Police Complaints Commission
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.
On 8 January 2018, th ...
(IPCC) investigation report published in summer 2016 said that three detectives from the South Wales force should face disciplinary action after they failed to act on earlier allegations of abuse by Watkins from 2008 onward.
A further IPCC report, published in August 2017, found that police had failed a number of times from 2008 to 2012 to act on reports of Watkins' behaviour, quoting a detective who said that Watkins had "a number of fans and ex-girlfriends making allegations that when investigated are false".
The report concluded:
South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said his force "entirely accepts and regrets" the findings of the report.
Possession of mobile phone in prison
In March 2018, Watkins was found with a mobile phone.
He was accused of using the phone to maintain contact with a girlfriend outside of prison, but denied the charge,
claiming it did not belong to him but to two inmates who forced him to hide it for them;
he refused to give their names, citing fear of violent retribution.
[ A charger for the phone was also found in his cell.][ Watkins claimed he still received fan mail from Lostprophets fans and that the men wanted him to help them take advantage of the women writing in as a "revenue stream".][ After a five-day trial at ]Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court, more accurately the Crown Court at Leeds, is a venue of the Crown Court in West Yorkshire, England. The buildings are situated on Westgate in Leeds city centre, adjacent to Leeds magistrates courts.
Notable cases As Leeds As ...
in August 2019, he was convicted and sentenced to an additional ten months' imprisonment, to run consecutively to his existing sentence.[https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/ex-lostprophets-singer-ian-watkins-16728252.amp]
Discography
Public Disturbance
* ''4-Way Tie Up'' (1997)
* ''UKHC Compilation'' (1997)
* ''Victim of Circumstance'' (1998)
Lostprophets
* ''The Fake Sound of Progress
''The Fake Sound of Progress'' (stylized as ''thefakesoundofprogress'') is the debut studio album by the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, originally released on 27 November 2000 through Visible Noise. The album would be released in 2001 by Columbi ...
'' (2000)
* ''Start Something
''Start Something'' is the second studio album by the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, released on 2 February 2004 through Visible Noise in the United Kingdom and South Korea. The album was released internationally on 5 February 2004. The band bega ...
'' (2004)
* ''Liberation Transmission
''Liberation Transmission'' is the third studio album by Welsh rock band Lostprophets, released on 26 June 2006 by Visible Noise.
Recording
This is the first Lostprophets album recorded without original drummer Mike Chiplin. Josh Freese drummed ...
'' (2006)
* '' The Betrayed'' (2010)
* ''Weapons
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
'' (2012)
References
Further reading
The Honourable Mr Justice Royce; Between: ''The Queen V Ian Watkins & B & P'' – Judiciary Court Documentation
Archive
IPCC investigations
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Ian
1977 births
20th-century drummers
20th-century Welsh male singers
21st-century drummers
21st-century Welsh criminals
21st-century Welsh male singers
Alternative rock singers
Alumni of the University of Wales, Newport
British alternative rock musicians
British lyricists
British criminals
British male drummers
British male singer-songwriters
British people convicted of attempted rape
British people convicted of sexual assault
Living people
Lostprophets members
Nu metal singers
People convicted of child pornography offenses
People convicted of sex crimes
People educated at Hawthorn High School
People from Merthyr Tydfil
People from Pontypridd
Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales
Welsh criminals
Welsh people convicted of child sexual abuse
Welsh prisoners and detainees
Welsh rock drummers
Welsh rock singers
Welsh sex offenders
Welsh singer-songwriters
Welsh people convicted of child pornography offences