In August 2023, Ian Watkins, the disgraced former singer of Lostprophets, was brutally stabbed in prison over a drug debt. Serving a 29-year sentence for heinous crimes involving minors, Watkins was attacked with a sharpened toilet brush at HMP Wakefield.
The attack was reportedly due to a £900 ($1,150) drug debt, as detailed in the new book Inside Wakefield Prison: Life Behind Bars in the Monster Mansion by Jonathan Levi and Emma French. Watkins had taken £150 worth of spice (a synthetic drug) from another prisoner but was charged £900 because of his notoriety. Refusing to pay, he was stabbed in the side.
Watkins, despised by fellow inmates, has spent thousands on protection. Despite serving over 10 years of his sentence, incidents like hiding a phone in 2019 have extended his time in prison. He is eligible for parole in 2031.
According to the Mirror, an excerpt from the book highlighting a prisoner revealed the following to the authors:
“He is hated by many, but as HMP W is mixed, i.e. VPs and high-level gangsters, drug importers and organised crime, they just take money off him (Watkins) for his safety. He has spent thousands on protection. The recent stabbing was a reminder that he needs to pay. He took an amount of spice off a prisoner with a prison value of £150. Because it was Watkins, he was told he owed £900. He was high and refused to pay; therefore, he was stabbed in the side using a sharpened toilet brush.”
Lostprophets, known for their hit “Last Train Home,” disbanded after Watkins’ arrest. The remaining members formed No Devotion with Geoff Rickly of Thursday. Watkins’ crimes include 13 sexual offenses, such as conspiring to rape a child and possessing indecent images.
