Warning: This article contains discussion of child sex abuse which some readers may find distressing
A former member of the same band as the disgraced rockstar Ian Watkins has expressed his thoughts on the convicted pedophile’s death in prison without holding back.
The notorious child sex offender is now the focus of a murder investigation following an attack in his cell at HMP Wakefield, situated about 25 minutes south of Leeds in northern England, on a Saturday morning (October 11).
Reports suggest the assault took place after inmates were let out of their cells, with the 48-year-old suffering severe injuries after allegedly having his throat cut. He was declared dead at the scene due to massive blood loss.
Two individuals, Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, have been charged with his murder.
The Prison Service has stated that they cannot provide further comments while the police investigation is underway.
The death of the former Lostprophets frontman has stirred painful memories for his former bandmates. Lee Gaze, a co-founder, broke his silence after news of Watkins’ death emerged.
After the incident, Lee Gaze took to social media to respond to fans reaching out to him.
A fan expressed condolences on Twitter to Gaze, acknowledging the trauma he faced due to their connection with the troubled musician. Gaze responded with, “Onwards and upwards.”
He also thanked another fan for their ‘kind words,’ which showed support for the former band members, rather than focusing on Watkins’ death.
In a separate post, he reassured fans that the band was unaware of Watkins’ deviant behavior.
“Yeh, and that sick c*** obvs knew what he was saying [in relation to a video of the rockstar teasing his bandmates that he likes children – unbeknown to them the truth behind his words]. I can assure you had any of us known he’d never of made it as far as prison,” he commented on another post.
Watkins, who once enjoyed global fame and performed alongside major bands like Metallica and Slipknot, became infamous in 2013 after pleading guilty to 13 child sex offenses, including conspiring to rape a baby.
He received a 35-year prison sentence, with his actions described by prosecutors as reaching ‘new depths of depravity’.
On the anniversary of Lostprophets disbanding, Gaze reflected in July, “It’s been 13 years since my band ended in the most unimaginable circumstances, and it’s still painful to think about.
“Things could’ve been so different.”
Gaze and Watkins had known each other since they were teenagers in Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd, a town in south Wales.
They initially played together in the band Fleshbind before forming Lostprophets in 1997, achieving success with millions of records sold worldwide.
Reflecting on the band’s reaction to the revelations when Watkins was first convicted, Gaze told BBC Newsbeat: “There was two sets of it [shock] because there were the accusations – which was one thing.
“And then there was the actual, ‘Yeah I did do it’ which was a year later. He dragged that out for a year, so we got hit by it twice.”
“How could you know? How would you know? Who would disclose such a thing to five people, who between them have eight children? You just wouldn’t because they would be killed on the spot,” he added.
Following the exposure of Watkins’ crimes, the band disbanded and later reformed with a new singer under the name No Devotion.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or need to speak to someone in confidence regarding child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)) is available 24/7, serving the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.