Ian Watkins ‘paid for protection’ in jail after being stabbed with ‘toilet brush’

A prisoner has claimed Lostprophets pedophile Ian Watkins is shelling out protection money at HMP Wakefield after he was attacked with a “sharp toilet brush”.

Jonathan Levi and Emma French, in their book Inside Wakefield Prison: Life Behind Bars in the Monster Mansion, suggest that harsh justice is often “met” on child abusers behind bars.

Watkins, once the lead vocalist of Welsh rock group Lostprophets, was subjected to a brutal attack in 2023. During the infamous “Monster Mansion” incident, he was taken hostage and assaulted by three fellow inmates.

Despite his conviction for sex offences, it appears Watkins still has “access to money” and is using it to provide protection and companionship within prison walls after the attack.

One inmate revealed to the authors: “He is hated by many but as HMP W is mixed ie VP and high level gangsters, drug importers and organized crime, they just take money from him (Watkins) for his safety “.

The source added: “He spent thousands on protection. The recent stabbing was a reminder that he must pay. Took a quantity of spice from a prisoner with a prison value of £150.

“Because he was Watkins, he was told he owed £900. It was big and refused to pay; therefore, he was stabbed in the side using a sharp toilet brush.”

The inmate detailed the process behind the money exchanges, which are “easily done in prison.” A person first gets the phone numbers of the friends or family of the person they are paying.

These numbers are then relayed to one’s own family over the phone, and the payer’s family contacts the other family to send the money via bank transfer.

Watkins, described by the inmate as “a tall thin man who dyes his thin hair black” with dye purchased from the prison service, was allegedly caught with a mobile phone.

The source revealed: “He had paid a Liverpool gang member £1,000 to use the phone and when he was caught with it he had to pay £5,000. This is a fact; i know the guy who borrowed his phone. Watkins is on C Wing at HMP W.”

“His work is education. He buys his protection and his recent stabbing was due to a drug debt. He is considered a villain among other criminals (due to his involvement in sex crimes against babies). Pay for protection.”

Despite his horrific crimes, Watkins still has “a lot of female fans” and “gets letters from a lot of women.” The former rock star was jailed in December 2013 for a series of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a child.

He was sentenced to 29 years in prison and a further six years on licence, according to the BBC. Levi and French suggest Watkins could be eligible for parole in 2031.

However, they said his release depends on a “number of factors”, including the absence of any further “incidents” before his potential parole date.