Disgraced former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was stabbed with a sharpened toilet brush in HMP Wakefield last August over a drug debt, according to a new book. Watkins, 46, is serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.
The attack occurred on 5 August 2023, when three inmates took him hostage. He was freed by prison officers and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A Prison Service spokesperson said police were investigating.
Details from the book 'Life Behind Bars in the Monster Mansion' by Jonathan Levi and Emma French reveal the stabbing was linked to a £900 drug debt. Watkins had taken spice worth £150 from another inmate but was told he owed £900. After refusing to pay while high, he was stabbed in the side with the makeshift weapon.
The book also claims Watkins has spent thousands on protection due to being despised by fellow inmates. A prisoner told the authors that while he is 'hated by many', some inmates extort money from him for his safety.
Watkins was jailed in December 2013 after pleading guilty to 13 sex offences. He is eligible for parole in 2031. In 2019, he hid a phone in his anus, extending his sentence.
