PAEDO'S DEATH
IAN Watkins' Lostprophets bandmate has spoken out after he was killed in an alleged prison attack.
Guitarist Lee Gaze took to X after news broke the vile paedo was reportedly slashed in the neck by a fellow lag at HMP Wakefield yesterday morning.
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Lostprophets guitarist Lee Gaze has spoken out after Ian Watkins was killedCredit: Getty
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Former Lostprophets frontman Watkins was allegedly murdered in jailCredit: PA
ress Association
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A prison van leaves Wakefield prison yesterday eveningCredit: Ben Lack
Gaze posted "Thanks for the kind words" in response to a fan wishing them well late last night.
He had started the thread in July when he posted: "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."
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ROCKER'S 'MURDER'
FALLEN FOR MONSTER?
Armed officers were also spotted outside the facility as the van left - understood to be on its way to a local police station.
The alleged attack had come when prisoners were allowed out of their cells - and despite the efforts of emergency crews, Watkins could not be saved.
The depraved musician was locked up in 2013 for a series of child sex offences, including attempted rape of a fan's baby daughter.
Watkins' former bandmates were convinced it was a "mistake" when he was first arrested.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat in 2014, after reforming as No Devotion, they said they had drifted apart from the paedo frontman in the months prior to the allegations surfacing.
Play Video
Lostprophets’ paedo Ian Watkins stabbed to death by prisoner in jail attack
They said in the aftermath, people questioned how much they knew.
Gaze said at the time: "How could you know? How would you know?
Advertisement
"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: "It wasn't like, 'That's happened, let's run away.' It was like, 'We are sticking together,' which I think is such a bold statement."
"He was walking around with a target on his back from the first day he entered the prison.
"I have always been scared of him getting out and tracking me down or something, so this is a relief."
Advertisement
Joanne - who now suffers from PTSD - said she'd "wanted him dead for a long time".
8
The van was reportedly heading to a local police stationCredit: Ben Lack
8
Footage showed the van driving awayCredit: Ben Lack
8
Police outside the prison yesterday
Category A Wakefield - which holds 630 lags - has been dubbed 'Monster Mansion' due to the number of high-profile killers, terrorists and sex offenders it holds.
Advertisement
Its inmates included Roy Whiting, who killed Sarah Payne, Jeremy Bamber and paedophile killer Mark Bridger.
It also holds cop-killing Al-Qaeda terrorist Kamel Bourgass, serial rapist Reynhard Sinaga and child killer Mick Philpott.
We told how in August 2023, while serving his sentence, the paedophile rocker was taken to hospital after being stabbed in another prison attack.
On that occasion, he was grabbed by three other lags who attacked him and left him with neck injuries.
IAN Watkins was the super-confident and charismatic frontman of alt-rock band Lostprophets as they rose to fame in the early 2000s.
He had formed the group with guitarist Lee Gaze in Pontypridd, Wales in 1997 and they went on to build up a huge following on the UK's underground music scene.
A debut album, The Fake Sound of Progress - released in 2000 - brought them commercial success.
Second album Start Something, which came out four years later spawned hits including Last Train Home and Burn Burn.
Further success followed with 2006's Liberation Transmission and The Betrayed, released in 2010.
Lostprophets sold out venues including the Cardiff international Arena, and Watkins - their energetic lead-singer - had a legion of adoring fans.
But rumours began to swirl of his erratic behaviour, drug use and a sinister dark side.
Still, the rock world was stunned by his 2012 arrest and subsequent conviction - which led detectives to label twisted Watkins the most dangerous sex offender they had encountered.
Watkins, who briefly dated TV and radio star Fearne Cotton in 2005, denied charges against him - but changed his plea to guilty at the start of his 2013 trial.
He confessed to 13 vile offences - including trying to rape a fan's 11-month-old son and conspiring to rape another's daughter.
Watkins also admitted possessing indecent photos of children found on computers at his home in Pontypridd, South Wales.
Of 90 abuse images, 24 were level five - the most serious category.
Officers had to turn to experts at government intelligence network GCHQ to crack encryption codes.
Meanwhile Cardiff Crown Court heard how he joked with a female fan 24 hours after his confession - calling his offences "mega lolz" (slang for laughing out loud).
In a recorded call from jail, he said: "I'm going to put a statement out just to say it was mega lolz.
"I don't know what everyone's getting so freaked out about."
The fiend claimed at court that he could not remember the sickening attacks because he was a "heavy user" of crystal meth at the time.
But his own KC, Sally O'Neil admitted: "There is little that can be said in way of mitigation."
And - handing out one of the longest tariffs ever to a convicted paedophile - Mr Justice Royce said: "These courts see a large number of horrific cases. This case, however, breaks new ground.
"You had many fawning fans. That gave you power.
"You knew you could use that power to induce young female fans to help satisfy your insatiable lust and take part in the sexual abuse of their children.
"Away from the highlights of your performances lay a dark and sinister side."
Det Chief Insp Peter Doyle said: "He has shown no empathy or remorse.
"That potentially makes him the most dangerous sex offender I've ever seen."
Two co-defendants - fans who were the mothers of victims - were caged for 14 and 17 years each.
In 2014, Watkins was refused the right to appeal against his 35-year sentence.
So until his death yesterday, he languished in bleak Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire - one of Britain's toughest jails where many will believe an act of brutal natural justice was meted out.
A siege at the jail only ended when a "Tornado" team of riot officers hurled stun grenades into the cell to free Watkins.
Advertisement
A source told The Sun: "He has been attacked a few times inside Wakefield over the last few years, so perhaps this was just a matter of time.
"So that meant he was walking around with a target on his back, and this has happened."
One former prison officer also spoke to The Sun about the challenge of keeping Watkins safe inside such a volatile environment, years before his death.
In a warning that ultimately rang true, he said: "My view is that it was only a matter of time before Watkins was attacked.
"Even within the community of rapists and perverts some will take issue with Watkins.
Advertisement
"Another problem at Wakefield is the lads doing big jail do not really care what happens to them. How can you punish a lifer?
"Moving forward it will now be a challenge to keep Watkins safe inside the prison system."
The disgraced singer - who had narrowly survived previous assaults by inmates - died from blood loss after having his jugular slashed.
Only one of the lags arrested is alleged to have wielded the weapon during the attack, it's understood.
Advertisement
A source told The Sun: "Watkins has been killed in the most brutal way possible - and the attack was shocking, even by prison standards.
"He was targeted by another inmate who shanked him in the neck.
"Guards were nearby and raced to the scene pretty quickly - but there was nothing they could do, and they could not save him."
They went on to say: "It was a horrific scene, with blood everywhere and alarms and sirens going off.
"Police and ambulances were called and the whole prison was locked down with all cons confined to their cells.
Advertisement
"He has been attacked a few times inside Wakefield over the last few years, so perhaps this was just a matter of time.
"The bloke who got him this time went for his jugular and it looks like a pre-planned attack.
"Watkins was obviously high-profile and in for the most disgusting crimes.
"So that meant he was walking around with a target on his back, and this has happened.
"Despite who he was, it was really shocking and gruesome.
Advertisement
"Experienced officers and a lot of the other prisoners were in absolute shock after what happened and a lot of them saw the awful scene.
"The inmate who attacked him used a 'shank' knife and he was apprehended pretty quickly.
"There was not much doubt about who had done it."
8
Watkins was murdered at HMP WakefieldCredit: Alamy
8
Watkins was handed a prison sentence for a string of child sex offencesCredit: Wales News Service
Advertisement
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Detectives have launched a murder investigation after the death of a man in HMP Wakefield.
"Officers were called by staff at the prison at 9.39am this morning to reports of a serious assault on a prisoner.
"A man aged 48 was found with serious injuries. Despite medical attention he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Two men aged 25 and 43 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody.
"Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating and enquiries remain ongoing."
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A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield which took place this morning.
"We are unable to comment further while the police investigate."
Ian Watkins’ Lostprophets bandmate breaks silence after paedo rocker is ‘murdered’ in prison
Lee Gaze has posted on X after his former bandmate was killed- Ryan Merrifield, Senior News Reporter
- Published: 14:26, 12 Oct 2025
- Updated: 10:36, 13
IAN Watkins' Lostprophets bandmate has spoken out after he was killed in an alleged prison attack.
Guitarist Lee Gaze took to X after news broke the vile paedo was reportedly slashed in the neck by a fellow lag at HMP Wakefield yesterday morning.
Sign up for The Sun
newsletter
Sign up
Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy
8
Lostprophets guitarist Lee Gaze has spoken out after Ian Watkins was killedCredit: Getty
8
Former Lostprophets frontman Watkins was allegedly murdered in jailCredit: PA
ress AssociationAdvertisement
8
A prison van leaves Wakefield prison yesterday eveningCredit: Ben Lack
Gaze posted "Thanks for the kind words" in response to a fan wishing them well late last night.
He had started the thread in July when he posted: "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."
Advertisement
Arrests & prison van spotted leaving
Yesterday two men, aged 25 and 43, were arrested on suspicion of murder.READ MORE NEWS
ROCKER'S 'MURDER'
Moment armed cop van 'with lag who killed paedo Ian Watkins' leaves jail
FALLEN FOR MONSTER?
Did Fearne Cotton date Ian Watkins? Everything we know
A prison van was last night seen leavingthe category A facility in West Yorkshire - dubbed Monster Mansion due its notorious inmates.Armed officers were also spotted outside the facility as the van left - understood to be on its way to a local police station.
The alleged attack had come when prisoners were allowed out of their cells - and despite the efforts of emergency crews, Watkins could not be saved.
The depraved musician was locked up in 2013 for a series of child sex offences, including attempted rape of a fan's baby daughter.
Watkins' former bandmates were convinced it was a "mistake" when he was first arrested.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat in 2014, after reforming as No Devotion, they said they had drifted apart from the paedo frontman in the months prior to the allegations surfacing.
Play Video
Lostprophets’ paedo Ian Watkins stabbed to death by prisoner in jail attack
They said in the aftermath, people questioned how much they knew.
Gaze said at the time: "How could you know? How would you know?
Advertisement
"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: "It wasn't like, 'That's happened, let's run away.' It was like, 'We are sticking together,' which I think is such a bold statement."
'Target on his back'
Watkins' ex Joanne Mjadzelics, who helped to expose his vile crimes, told the Daily Mail following his death: "This is a big shock, but I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I was always waiting for this phone call."He was walking around with a target on his back from the first day he entered the prison.
"I have always been scared of him getting out and tracking me down or something, so this is a relief."
Advertisement
Joanne - who now suffers from PTSD - said she'd "wanted him dead for a long time".
8
The van was reportedly heading to a local police stationCredit: Ben Lack
8
Footage showed the van driving awayCredit: Ben Lack
8
Police outside the prison yesterday
Category A Wakefield - which holds 630 lags - has been dubbed 'Monster Mansion' due to the number of high-profile killers, terrorists and sex offenders it holds.
Advertisement
Its inmates included Roy Whiting, who killed Sarah Payne, Jeremy Bamber and paedophile killer Mark Bridger.
It also holds cop-killing Al-Qaeda terrorist Kamel Bourgass, serial rapist Reynhard Sinaga and child killer Mick Philpott.
We told how in August 2023, while serving his sentence, the paedophile rocker was taken to hospital after being stabbed in another prison attack.
On that occasion, he was grabbed by three other lags who attacked him and left him with neck injuries.
Life and crimes of Ian Watkins
By Michael HamiltonIAN Watkins was the super-confident and charismatic frontman of alt-rock band Lostprophets as they rose to fame in the early 2000s.
He had formed the group with guitarist Lee Gaze in Pontypridd, Wales in 1997 and they went on to build up a huge following on the UK's underground music scene.
A debut album, The Fake Sound of Progress - released in 2000 - brought them commercial success.
Second album Start Something, which came out four years later spawned hits including Last Train Home and Burn Burn.
Further success followed with 2006's Liberation Transmission and The Betrayed, released in 2010.
Lostprophets sold out venues including the Cardiff international Arena, and Watkins - their energetic lead-singer - had a legion of adoring fans.
But rumours began to swirl of his erratic behaviour, drug use and a sinister dark side.
Still, the rock world was stunned by his 2012 arrest and subsequent conviction - which led detectives to label twisted Watkins the most dangerous sex offender they had encountered.
Watkins, who briefly dated TV and radio star Fearne Cotton in 2005, denied charges against him - but changed his plea to guilty at the start of his 2013 trial.
He confessed to 13 vile offences - including trying to rape a fan's 11-month-old son and conspiring to rape another's daughter.
Watkins also admitted possessing indecent photos of children found on computers at his home in Pontypridd, South Wales.
Of 90 abuse images, 24 were level five - the most serious category.
Officers had to turn to experts at government intelligence network GCHQ to crack encryption codes.
Meanwhile Cardiff Crown Court heard how he joked with a female fan 24 hours after his confession - calling his offences "mega lolz" (slang for laughing out loud).
In a recorded call from jail, he said: "I'm going to put a statement out just to say it was mega lolz.
"I don't know what everyone's getting so freaked out about."
The fiend claimed at court that he could not remember the sickening attacks because he was a "heavy user" of crystal meth at the time.
But his own KC, Sally O'Neil admitted: "There is little that can be said in way of mitigation."
And - handing out one of the longest tariffs ever to a convicted paedophile - Mr Justice Royce said: "These courts see a large number of horrific cases. This case, however, breaks new ground.
"You had many fawning fans. That gave you power.
"You knew you could use that power to induce young female fans to help satisfy your insatiable lust and take part in the sexual abuse of their children.
"Away from the highlights of your performances lay a dark and sinister side."
Det Chief Insp Peter Doyle said: "He has shown no empathy or remorse.
"That potentially makes him the most dangerous sex offender I've ever seen."
Two co-defendants - fans who were the mothers of victims - were caged for 14 and 17 years each.
In 2014, Watkins was refused the right to appeal against his 35-year sentence.
So until his death yesterday, he languished in bleak Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire - one of Britain's toughest jails where many will believe an act of brutal natural justice was meted out.
A siege at the jail only ended when a "Tornado" team of riot officers hurled stun grenades into the cell to free Watkins.
Advertisement
A source told The Sun: "He has been attacked a few times inside Wakefield over the last few years, so perhaps this was just a matter of time.
"So that meant he was walking around with a target on his back, and this has happened."
One former prison officer also spoke to The Sun about the challenge of keeping Watkins safe inside such a volatile environment, years before his death.
In a warning that ultimately rang true, he said: "My view is that it was only a matter of time before Watkins was attacked.
"Even within the community of rapists and perverts some will take issue with Watkins.
Advertisement
"Another problem at Wakefield is the lads doing big jail do not really care what happens to them. How can you punish a lifer?
"Moving forward it will now be a challenge to keep Watkins safe inside the prison system."
Deadly prison attack
The ex-Lostprophets frontman was ambushed and had his throat slashed after the cons were unlocked from their cells at around 9.39am yesterday morning.The disgraced singer - who had narrowly survived previous assaults by inmates - died from blood loss after having his jugular slashed.
Only one of the lags arrested is alleged to have wielded the weapon during the attack, it's understood.
Advertisement
A source told The Sun: "Watkins has been killed in the most brutal way possible - and the attack was shocking, even by prison standards.
"He was targeted by another inmate who shanked him in the neck.
"Guards were nearby and raced to the scene pretty quickly - but there was nothing they could do, and they could not save him."
They went on to say: "It was a horrific scene, with blood everywhere and alarms and sirens going off.
"Police and ambulances were called and the whole prison was locked down with all cons confined to their cells.
Advertisement
"He has been attacked a few times inside Wakefield over the last few years, so perhaps this was just a matter of time.
"The bloke who got him this time went for his jugular and it looks like a pre-planned attack.
"Watkins was obviously high-profile and in for the most disgusting crimes.
"So that meant he was walking around with a target on his back, and this has happened.
"Despite who he was, it was really shocking and gruesome.
Advertisement
"Experienced officers and a lot of the other prisoners were in absolute shock after what happened and a lot of them saw the awful scene.
"The inmate who attacked him used a 'shank' knife and he was apprehended pretty quickly.
"There was not much doubt about who had done it."
8
Watkins was murdered at HMP WakefieldCredit: Alamy
8
Watkins was handed a prison sentence for a string of child sex offencesCredit: Wales News Service
Advertisement
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Detectives have launched a murder investigation after the death of a man in HMP Wakefield.
"Officers were called by staff at the prison at 9.39am this morning to reports of a serious assault on a prisoner.
"A man aged 48 was found with serious injuries. Despite medical attention he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Two men aged 25 and 43 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody.
"Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating and enquiries remain ongoing."
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A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield which took place this morning.
"We are unable to comment further while the police investigate."
