Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins is fighting for his life after being stabbed several times on Saturday in a British jail where he is serving a 29-year sentence for sex crimes.
The 46-year-old singer was reportedly grabbed by three fellow inmates and held hostage before being stabbed and left to die in a cell, according to the Mirror.
“He was found by officers after being held hostage and battered on Saturday morning. He’s in a life-threatening condition and there are fears he could die. If he survives, he’ll have been very lucky,” a source told the paper.
Watkins was reportedly held for six hours by the other inmates and suffered a serious beating before being stabbed, authorities say.
“Police are investigating an incident which took place on Saturday at HMP Wakefield. We are unable to comment further while the police investigate,” HMP Wakefield prison officials said in a statement.
Several days later, law enforcement said Watkins’ injuries were not life-threatening.
Lostprophets performed from the late ’90s through the early 2000s, but fell apart when leader Watkins was convicted on sex offenses in 2013. Watkins was charged with thirteen sexual offenses against children, including the attempted rape of a one-year-old girl.
During his trial, Watkins was accused of blowing crystal meth fumes in a child’s face to get the child ready for sexual assault and that he plotted to sexually abuse two babies with the approval of the mothers of the infants. It was also alleged that Watkins had a video recording of his sex acts with a child.
Watkins eventually pleaded guilty to several counts of rape and sex with a child as well as possession of child and human-on-animal porn.
The group disbanded in 2013, one month before Watkins was convicted and handed a 29-year sentence in December.
One of Watkins’ ex-girlfriends said she was surprised that such a brutal attack on the singer hadn’t occurred before now.
“My only reaction is simply that I cannot believe it took them so long, particularly in Wakefield Prison,” former girlfriend Jo Mjadzelics told the Mirror.
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