Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was sentenced today, December 18th, at Cardiff Crown Court in Cardiff, Wales for his various child sex related crimes. For those crimes Watkins will serve 29 years in prison with an extended license of six years, essentially meaning he has been sentenced to 35 years.
He won’t be considered for release until at least two thirds of his sentence has been served. He was said to be visibly shaken as he was taken away to his cells, while cheers were said to have erupted from the courtroom.
The court was told during the sentencing that Watkins made two phone calls from Prison after admitting guilt to the crimes late last month. One of the calls found him saying that he planned to make a statement after being sentenced. A particular exchange from those calls was brought up by the courts, as reported by Walesonline.co.uk:
“Prosecutor Christopher Clee QC has told the court about two phone calls Watkins made to a female friend from Parc Prison after his guilty pleas.
On November 27, the day after he admitted he was a paedophile, he said of the court hearing: “It was like either me go up there and say ‘Come on, it wasn’t that bad, nobody got hurt’. I do my charm or do I end up making things worse for myself or do I just say I was off my head and can’t remember?”
Discussing his possible sentence, he added: “I’m going to put a statement on the 18th now just to say it was mega lols, I don’t know what everyone is getting so freaked out about.”
In another conversation the following day he said: “It’s so hard. There’s a lot of fucking meaningless bullshit like chat that I did to show off when I was fucking off my head.
“There was no medical evidence, nobody was harmed at all.
“I’m not a paedophile, I’m not. You know I plead guilty just to avoid a trial, not realising ‘Hang on, that makes me look a bit guilty’ but I would never harm anybody.”
When asked if he would still issue a statement saying his conduct was “mega lols” he replied: “No, it’s just lols now.””
If the phrase “megalolz” sounds familiar, it’s likely because it was previously used as a backdrop for the band. Watkins‘ defense team argued in his favor that their clients guilty plea deserves credit for not dragging out a trial. They also argued that Watkins was not the first rock star to take advantage of the adulation of his fans.
They went on to state that Watkins had an obsession with filming himself having sex and that fans “bombarded” him through social media with sexual requests, resorting to “extraordinary tactics” to keep him interested. They also argued that Watkins has “no recollection” of the abuses he is charged with, with his drug abuse and admitted addictions being cited as a contributing factor.
Claims were also made that Watkins was shocked when shown the video of him attempting to rape a child and that he “couldn’t believe he had participated in such activity.” The defense continued to argue that there needed to be a “sense of proportion” to the case as her client had been exceptionally “vilified.”
Watkins himself said the videos of the abuse made him feel “sick”, though he took “comfort” that the children were allegedly not hurt by his behavior. His lawyer went on to argue that he was “ashamed and appalled by what has happened”, stating:
“He has belatedly realized the gravity of what has happened.
He has certainly expressed a wish to resolve the problems he has had as card as drink and drugs are concerned but also he has acknowledged that he has got himself into this current situation and he is ashamed and appalled by what has happened.
He is deeply ashamed and sorry for what he has put others through, including his family and those who know him and still support him.”
“He does wish, for what it’s worth, to say he is very, very sorry for what’s happened and still finds it hard to accept but realises the reality of what has happened.”
Presiding judge Mr. Justice Royce later told Watkins that he showed “evident delight” in abusing children and had “an almost complete lack of remorse” for his actions. He also stated that he feels Watkins remains a “significant risk” to women & children. He was quote as telling Watkins:
“I am satisfied that you are a deeply corrupting influence. You are highly manipulative. You are a sexual predator. You are dangerous. The public, and in particular young females and children, need protection from you.”
The two females—who remain unidentified to protect their young female & male victims—were also sentenced with the 21 year old to serve fourteen years in jail.
The 24 year old—who faces the more serious charge of sexually assaulting a child by penetration—will serve 17 years in jail.
A lawyer for one of the females being charged was quoted as saying:
“She was a vulnerable girl who allowed herself to be manipulated and corrupted by this co-defendant who, as you can see from her account to the probation officer, introduced her to a world of drugs, sometimes pressing it upon her – including injecting her with heroin to facilitate his sexual gratification. Ultimately she allowed herself to be taken to a very dark place.”
Meanwhile, the defense for the other female involved in the case described her client as an infatuated fan who suffered from an undiagnosed personality disorder and postpartum depression. She was said to be found in possession of over 1200 images of Watkins during the time of her arrest.
It was also argued by the judge that she was shown to have taken “obvious enjoyment” in abusing her own child for Watkins, a viewpoint which was disputed by the defense.
Watkins pled guilty to a number of heinous charges on November 26th, 2013. Those included conspiring to rape a child; sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13; and aiding and abetting a female co-defendant to sexually assault a child under 13.
He also pled guilty to possessing 90 indecent photographs of children and two counts of taking indecent photographs of children between 2007-2008 and possession of 22 images of bestiality pornography. He did however deny the two counts of the actual rape of an eleven month old child, though admitted his guilt to two counts of attempting to rape said child. Watkins and two females—one 21 years old while the other 24 years old—were all arrested on December 19th, 2012 on their respective charges.
The two unidentified females in the case faced similar charges for allowing Watkins to violate their children, while also engaging in the activities. The 21 year old admitted guilt to aiding and abetting an attempted rape; two counts of sexually assaulting a child aged under 13 years, taking indecent photographs of children and distributing indecent photographs of children.
The 24 year old pled guilty to sexually assaulting a child aged under 13 by penetration; sexually assaulting a child under 13 by touching; conspiracy to rape a child under 13; conspiracy to sexually assault a girl under 13; two counts of indecent photographs of a child and distributing indecent photographs of children.
The fallout from the case has been wide reaching with the Independent Police Complaints Commission now investigating three separate police departments. The investigations are in regards to their handling of information of abuse presented to them regarding Watkins between 2008 and 2012 and their alleged failure to act on it. You may recall that at least one alleged ex-girlfriend/escort of Watkins was quite vocal about her reported attempts to raise the attention of the police.
At least one detective sergeant has been served with gross misconduct notices for his failure to act in this and a separate rape case. A full statement from the IPCC on the investigations can be found at IPCC.gov.uk.
Meanwhile, pieces of pavement adorned with lyrics from the bands track “Streets Of Nowhere” in their hometown of Pontypridd have since been removed. They featured the words “every time I walk these streets I know they’re mine.” A report on that can be found at Walesonline.co.uk.
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