Ian Watkins 'paying for prison protection' after being 'stabbed with toilet brush'

A prisoner has claimed that paedophile Ian Watkins is paying for protection inside HMP Wakefield after being attacked with a "sharpened toilet brush".

Authors Jonathan Levi and Emma French, in their book Inside Wakefield Prison: Life Behind Bars in the Monster Mansion, indicate that inmates often deliver their own form of justice to child abusers.

Watkins, the former frontman of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, was subjected to a vicious attack in 2023. He was reportedly taken hostage, assaulted and stabbed by three other prisoners at the notorious "Monster Mansion".

Despite his conviction for sexual offences, Watkins seems to have "access to money", which he uses to buy protection and company within the prison after the assault.

An inmate revealed 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," reports Wales Online.

The same source also said: "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."

The inmate has shed light on clandestine financial transactions within prison walls, describing them as "easily done in prison". To facilitate a payment, one must acquire the phone numbers of the friends or relatives of the person they intend to pay.

These contacts are then relayed to their own family members during phone calls, who in turn reach out to the recipient's family to arrange the transfer of funds through bank transactions.

Watkins, described by the lag as "tall thin male who dyes his thinning hair black" using dye obtained from the prison service, was once reportedly caught in possession of a mobile phone.

The source disclosed: "He had paid a Liverpool gang member £1,000 to use the phone, and when he got caught with it, he had to pay £5,000. This is fact; I know the guy who lent him the phone. Watkins is on C wing at HMP W."

Watkins, whose daily routine includes educational activities, allegedly secures his safety by financial means.

Inmates have particular hatred for sexual offenders behind bars, according to the prisoner, and Watkins appears no exception.

Despite the abhorrent nature of his crimes, Watkins still has "many female fans" and is inundated with correspondence from women.

The ex-rock musician was sentenced in December 2013 to a lengthy incarceration for child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

His sentence, as reported by the BBC, consists of 29 years in prison, plus an additional six years under licence. Levi and French have indicated that Watkins might be considered for parole come 2031.

They added, however, that his release is dependent on a "number of factors", including the absence of any further "incidents" before his potential parole date.