Child taken into care after Ian Watkins grooms young mother from prison

The former Lostprophets frontman is currently serving 35 years for a string of child sex offences

A child has been taken into care after former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was found to be grooming a mother from prison.

The shamed 40-year-old Welsh singer is currently serving 35 years for child sex offences – including planning to rape a baby. Now, as The Sun reports, Watkins is said to have been writing to a 21-year-old mother from his high security prison in Wakefield.

The mother in question has been a fan of Lostprophets since she was 16, and visited Watkins in prison after receiving letters in which he claimed that he loved her. It is also alleged that Watkins made jokes about her two-year-old watching her have sex.

Advertisement

The child was then taken into care after social services were alerted of her contact with the disgraced singer.

‘We’re sickened,” said a spokesman from the NSPCC. “It’s utterly bewildering that he could carry on grooming. It shows contempt for children he abused, and raises serious questions about supervision.”

The single mother from Lincolnshire first started writing to Watkins in 2016.

“She got a letter back and he said he loved her,” a friend of the mother revealed. Following letters, she then visited him back in November before discovering that he had put on four stone, his hair had turned grey, and his teeth were rotting. He then allegedly asked if her daughter “came into the room during sex”.

At that point, she began to feel “scared”, but vowed to never let him have any contact with her daughter. However, police then seized her mobile phone and laptop in December after it was discovered that the pair had been communicating, before taking the child into care. She then returned to visit in January to inform him of what had happened, before coming back again in March.

Advertisement

Prison officials in Wakefield reportedly found “nothing untoward” in their exchanges via letters and emails.

A spokesman from Lincolnshire police meanwhile added: “We will always take action to safeguard vulnerable adults and children.”

Earlier this year, South Wales Police were criticised over their handling of evidence in Watkins’ case.

According to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), between 2008 and 2012, South Wales Police were presented with eight reports and three intelligence logs by six people who raised concerns over Watkins’ intentions. However, the force failed to adequately respond to the accusations.

Last year, someone also appeared to be Tweeting from Watkins’ account while he was in prison.

In 2013, Watkins was convicted of 13 child sex offences and sentenced to 35-years in prison. These offences only came to light following a drugs investigation.

 

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories