The ex-girlfriend of former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has described how the convicted paedophile “was walking around with a target on his back” after he was murdered in prison.
Watkins was killed at Wakefield prison in Yorkshire on Saturday while serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences, which included the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
West Yorkshire Police said on Saturday evening that two men aged 25 and 43 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are in police custody.
Reacting to his murder, Watkins’ ex-girlfriend Joanne Mjadzelics, who helped expose the singer, described his death as a big shock but said she was “surprised it didn’t happen sooner”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: “He was walking around with a target on his back from the first day he entered the prison.
“I have always been scared of him getting out and tracking me down or something, so this is a relief.
“'I wanted him dead for a long time after everything he did. I am relieved, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my head.
“This is the second time someone has slashed his throat. I expected it to have happened earlier. He's been in there for almost 13 years.”
Ms Mjadzelics said that the families of Watkins’ victims “will be rejoicing today”.
West Yorkshire Police officers were called by staff at HMP Wakefield following reports of a serious assault on a prisoner at 9.39am on Saturday morning.
Watkins, 48, was found with serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the prison.
Detectives are investigating what happened and inquiries remain ongoing at the scene.
A Prison Service spokesperson added: “We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield which took place this morning.
“We are unable to comment further while the police investigate.”
Watkins was convicted in December 2013 after pleading guilty to 13 charges. He had 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.
He had also pleaded guilty to six counts of taking and possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing extreme pornographic images.
The disgraced rock star from Pontypridd in Wales had previously been stabbed at the prison in 2023 but his injuries were not life-threatening. At the time, a source told the Mirror he had been taken hostage by three other inmates.
Watkins was arrested following the execution of a drugs warrant at his home on September 21 2012 when a large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized.
Analysis of the equipment uncovered Watkins’ depraved behaviour.
He had previously described how his fellow inmates were “the worst of the worst” as he was found guilty of possessing a mobile phone in prison in 2019.
He was jailed for 10 months on top of the sentence he was serving for child sex offences that year.
Watkins had claimed two inmates forced him to hold on to the phone so they could contact women who sent him fan mail in order to use them as a “revenue stream”.
In his evidence, the defendant refused to name the men, but said: “You would not want to mess with them.”
He also said his fellow inmates were “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.
