Lostprophets Release Statement On Ian Watkins’ Child Sex Guilty Plea

November 30th, 2013

Kriston McConnell

People across the country were shocked and horrified once details of Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins’ child sex offense trial surfaced online. When we first heard he was going to trial for allegedly conspiring to rape a child, among other disgusting allegations, he furiously denied the accusations and stated he would continue to deny them during trial. However, once the trial started and he was finally in court, he decided to admit to a majority of the charges. The prosecution also had overwhelming, and very disturbing, evidence against him and two other female defendants.

A couple of hours ago his band posted a statement about charges against their frontman, and needless to say they are just as shocked as everyone else. You can read what they had to say by taking a look below the jump.

Earlier this week, we learned that the allegations of child sexual abuse against Ian were true, and that he would not be contesting them in court. Until then, we found them extremely difficult to believe and had hoped it was all a mistake. Sadly, the true extent of his appalling behaviour is now impossible to deny.

Many of you understandably want to know if we knew what Ian was doing. To be clear: We did not. We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge. But despite his battles with drugs, his egotistic behaviour, and the resulting fractures and frustrations within our band, we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted.

We are heartbroken, angry, and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them. It’s still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way.

Our hearts go out to Ian’s family, the fans and friends he betrayed, and most importantly, the victims of his crimes and others like them. We hope for justice, but also that Ian will truly take responsibility for what he’s done. We would urge any other victims to contact the authorities.

Jamie, Lee, Luke, Mike and Stu