It’s been over six months since Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was imprisoned for charges that included raping a one year-old girl. Earlier today, Watkins and two women appeared at Cardiff Crown Court via a video link , where he denied 23 offenses including two counts of raping a baby under the age of 12 months and a charge of aiding and abetting the sexual assault of another child under 18 months. The two women also denied the charges. The vocalist also denied a 24th offence of possessing extreme pornographic images involving an animal.
Following the court appearance, Watkins released a statement reading “I want to thank my family, friends and all the fans for the continued support throughout this whole ordeal. Your support gives my strength. I deny all the allegations made against me and I will continue to fight to clear my name.” A hearing has been set for Thursday, and it’s expected that a trial date will be set at the hearing.
The initial ruling threw everyone for a loop, including those that knew him. And even if he is cleared on all counts, it’s hard to imagine that Lostprophets’ brand isn’t damaged beyond repair. It’s not like Gary Glitter has had much success lately. This will be an interesting trial for sure, albeit quite possibly a very disturbing one.
