Ian Watkins

Ian David Karslake Watkins (born 30 July 1977) is a Welsh former musician and convicted child sex offender.

Ian David Karslake Watkins was born on 30July 1977 in Merthyr Tydfil.

He later moved to Pontypridd, where he attended Hawthorn High School with future Lostprophets bandmate Mike Lewis.

He gained a first-class honours degree in graphic design from the University of Wales, Newport.

In 1991, they formed Aftermath, a thrash metal band that played in a shed in Watkins's garden.

Aftermath never recorded any material.

Whilst spending time in the local Ynysangharad Park, where (17 years later) Lostprophets would headline The Full Ponty festival, Watkins was introduced to future bandmate Lee Gaze 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 influences.

The band played several shows, including one supporting Feeder in London, but the group was short-lived.

Watkins reunited with Mike Lewis as a drummer in a hardcore band called Public Disturbance, formed in 1995.

He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Lostprophets, which he co-founded with Lee Gaze in 1997.

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).

Lostprophets released five studio albums: The Fake Sound of Progress (2000), Start Something (2004), Liberation Transmission (2006), The Betrayed (2010), and Weapons (2012).

In 2003, Watkins was featured on the Hoobastank song "Out of Control" along with Jamie Oliver, who was by then a member of Lostprophets.

Watkins grew up listening to mostly American rock and metal artists, and in 2004 mentioned the band Faith No More as his biggest influence.

As teenagers, Lewis' and Watkins's mutual enjoyment of rock and metal music strengthened their friendship.

They toured extensively in Europe and America, playing shows such as the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2004, 2007, 2009, and 2010.

Around 2006 or so, whilst on tour in support of the band's third studio album Liberation Transmission, multiple band members and road crew employees recalled seeing Watkins backstage with multiple underage fans.

Watkins' former bandmates claimed they were unaware of his conduct as his drug use had begun to cause heavy strain on his relationship with them.

Watkins had requested his own private dressing room away from the other five band members, where much of his abuse of children allegedly took place.

Watkins had also chosen to minimize personal contact with most of his bandmates, spending more of his time at his residence in Wales during much of their off-time, while the rest of his bandmates resided in Los Angeles.

from their debut studio album We Are the Dynamite (2007), and also accompanied them on tour.

On New Year's Eve 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: "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, and Attack! Attack!

Watkins was also featured on the Blackout's song "It's High Tide Baby!"

He also released a free mixtape, which was available online, along with a free download of a song that was premiered at a fashion show in 2008.

Watkins' abuse and misconduct with children was reported as early as 2008 to South Wales Police, though the authorities repeatedly failed to act upon any leads linking Watkins to these allegations.

Mjadzelics was one of six people who had spoken to the police in regards to Watkins' conduct from 2008 to 2011.

In 2009, Watkins started a remixing side project called "L'Amour La Morgue".

He released 17 remixes by artists such as the Killers, Beyoncé, Young Guns, Tears for Fears, and Bring Me the Horizon.

During the recording of the band's fourth studio album The Betrayed in 2009, Mjadzelics was made aware from Watkins that he was abusing a two-year-old child in California whilst the band was recording in Los Angeles.

Mjadzelics contacted the child's parents, who had also reported him to Welsh authorities, though again, no further action was taken to investigate the matter.

Joanne Mjadzelics, an ex-girlfriend of Watkins, recalls him displaying multiple graphic images with minors or drug paraphernalia as early as 2010.

Appalled by the content, Mjadzelics had made multiple complaints with South Wales Police, though very little action was taken at the time.

In 2010, an Australian woman had also come forward accusing Watkins of assaulting her child, though the allegations were not investigated any further by authorities.

In 2013, he was sentenced to 29 years imprisonment for multiple sexual offences, including the sexual assault of young children and infants, a sentence later increased by ten months for having a mobile phone in prison.

His bandmates disbanded Lostprophets shortly after his conviction and formed No Devotion with American singer Geoff Rickly.

Bassist Stuart Richardson recalled during a December 2019 interview the tensions escalating into an altercation with Watkins after he failed to show up for a show:

"I come off the stage, fucking livid. Go on the bus, Ian's on the bus. And I'm like 'nice one'. And he gives me some shit. And I black the fuck out and I'm laying punches into his face. I'm not fucking proud of it. But I'm laying punches into his face for 10 seconds or 10 minutes. I don't know. And I'm a big boy compared to him, so I'm not proud of this. And then he gives me this fucking look after I hit him. I had this can of Monster Energy in my hand and I smashed this fucking can into his head. And I'm like 'fuck', I go outside and puke. And for the next three weeks he's like black eyes, cut on his face and I'm like feeling fucking horrible about the whole thing. And that's what I did when he missed a show."