Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Singer jailed for sex crimes loses appeal

Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has been told by Cardiff's Court of Appeal his 35-year jail sentence for child sex crimes will stand.

British musician Ian Watkins, lead singer of Lostprophets
Singer Ian Watkins fails in his bid to reduce his 35-year jail sentence for child sex crimes. (AAP)

British rocker Ian Watkins of the band Lostprophets has failed in his bid to reduce his 35-year jail sentence for a string of child sex crimes, including the attempted rape of a baby.

Court of Appeal judges in Cardiff told the 37-year-old singer they would not grant leave for appeal.

"These offences against children were of shocking depravity... a very lengthy prison sentence was demanded," said Christopher Pitchford, one of the judges considering the bid.

Last year, judge John Royce handed Watkins a 29-year jail term, as well as an additional six years on licence, after he admitted 13 offences, saying he had "plumbed new depths of depravity".

One of Watkins' two female accomplices also had her appeal bid turned down.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The singer, whose now-defunct band sold millions of albums around the world, plotted the abuse of two children with their own mothers in a series of text and internet messages.

After sexually touching one groupie's 11-month-old baby son, the heavily-tattooed rocker then tried to have penetrative sex with the child.

He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her female child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child porn videos, some of which he had made himself.


2 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world