Ian Watkins, former Lostprophets singer, dies after being attacked in prison; 'united' social media demands Nobel Peace Prize for his killer

Ian Watkins, the convicted child sexual abuser and former lead singer of Welsh rock band Lostprophets, has died after being attacked in prison. The 48-year-old was serving a 29-year sentence for a series of horrific child sexual offenses at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, as per a report by The Guardian.

West Yorkshire Police said detectives from the homicide and major inquiry teams are investigating the assault on Watkins, which was reported by prison staff early Saturday morning. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report. Sky News reported that the prison went into lockdown following the attack.

Following reports of Ian Watkins’ death in prison, social media, especially X, erupted in near-unanimous reaction, with users expressing relief, anger, and even celebration. Many posts reflected a shared sense of justice being served, with some suggesting that the person responsible deserved praise rather than punishment.

Nobel peace price for the convict, demands social media

One user wrote, “Need a Nobel peace prize late entry… the convict that done this cunt in #IanWatkins,” while another added, “Whoever murdered Ian Watkins should be released from prison tomorrow morning — or at minimum be given a double bed, Sky TV, Xbox, laptop and an iPhone 17.”


Others echoed similar sentiments. “It took a couple of years but today’s the day! Rot in hell #IanWatkins,” wrote one user, while another quipped, “Ian Watkins dead. I’ll drink to that. Whoever did it, get that man a deluxe cell with Sky Sports on an 86-inch TV.”


Summing up the collective mood, a commenter remarked, “Sometimes you wonder what it’d take to unite a whole country that so often feels broken. Then a rancid pedophile like Ian Watkins gets murdered in prison.”

What were the charges against Ian Watkins?

According to the BBC, former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was jailed for a series of “depraved” crimes involving children. He admitted to the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13, though he pleaded not guilty to rape. Watkins also admitted to conspiring to rape a child, along with three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven counts related to taking, making, or possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act with an animal.


During sentencing, Justice Royce said the case broke "new ground" and "plunged into new depths of depravity," quotes the news agency.


The judge added that Watkins had been a “corrupting influence” who showed a “complete lack of remorse.” His appeal to reduce the length of his jail term was rejected in 2014.

Ian Watkins’ previous prison attack in 2023

This wasn't Watkins' first violent incident behind bars. According to Sky News, in 2023, he was held hostage by three inmates for six hours before being freed by prison officers. During the attack, he sustained non-life-threatening injuries.