Singer Ian Watkins sentenced for child abuse

Police is liaising with officers in US and Germany for more victims.

LONDON: The lead singer of British rock group Lostprophets was sentenced on Wednesday, to 35 years for child abuse, and police said they were liaising with officers in the United States and Germany to establish whether he committed sex crimes there.

36-year-old Ian Watkins pleaded guilty to 13 counts relating to child abuse at Cardiff Crown Court in Wales last month. Two mothers of children he abused, who admitted child abuse charges, were sentenced to 14 and 17 years.

Before sentencing Watkins, Judge John Royce told him, “You are a deeply corrupting influence, you are highly manipulative, and you are a sexual predator.The public and in particular young females and children need protection from you,” Royce said.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Doyle, senior investigating officer for South Wales Police, said the investigation into Watkins “uncovered the most disturbing child abuse evidence I have seen in my 28 years as a police officer”.

Police believe they have not tracked down all of Watkins’ victims and are conducting further investigations with help from forces across Britain, international police organisation Interpol and the US Department for Homeland Security.

British detectives have already travelled to US and Germany, where Lostprophets toured on several occasions. The Welsh group, which has sold more than 3 million records worldwide, broke up in October after Watkins was charged. His former band mates have said they are “heartbroken, angry and disgusted” at revelations that Watkins had abused children.

Watkins admitted two attempted rapes, sexually assaulting a child under 13, aiding and abetting the sexual assault of a child under 13, conspiring to rape a child under 13 and conspiring to sexually assault another child under 13, a spokeswoman for the Cardiff court said. He also pleaded guilty to six counts of taking and possessing indecent images of children, the spokeswoman added.

The two women sentenced on Wednesday sexually abused their children when asked to do so by Watkins, and were prepared to make their children available to him, the court heard.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2013.

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