After a five-day trial, the verdict is in: Ian Watkins (ex-Lostprophets) has been found guilty of having a mobile phone while in HM Prison Wakefield in Wakefield, England. Despite his efforts, citing how the 8cm long GT Star device found in his ass after a strip search didn’t belong to him, the ex-frontman who is currently serving a 35-year sentence is now being served an additional 10 months to be served consecutively to his current jail time.
Watkins plead not guilty in March 2019 as his trial began earlier this week at Leeds Crown Court. The ex-frontman claimed two men walked into his cell and told him to look after the phone as they were allegedly interested in the fan mail he received and wanted him to “hook them up” with some of the women as a “revenue stream.” Prosecutor Stephen Wood believed the phone was used for Watkins to contact a woman named, Gabriella Persson. Persson testified in court on Monday’s trial telling them that Watkins did contact her on an unknown number back in March 2018. During the cross examination, Persson stated how neither of the calls she received were threatening nor about money.
Judge Rodney Jameson said:
“I am very conscious of the fact that you are serving a very long time and you will be well into middle age by the time you are released.
The fact of the matter is if there is not an appreciable penalty for having had a mobile phone in these circumstances then of course you would draw from that the lesson you could have another one and that is not a position I would want to encourage.”
