The singer at the center of the past year’s most horrific music-related news story has acknowledged that nearly all the charges against him are true. As the BBC reports, Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins has pleaded guilty to attempting to rape a one-year old girl, among other sex offenses. The U.K. nü-metal bandleader’s lawyer had previously said his client “furiously denies” all accusations leveled at him in this unthinkable case.
The 36-year-old from Wales and two women had been scheduled to stand trial for, broadly, “conspiring to engage in sexual touching with two young children.” The prosecutor told the court Watkins “accepts he is a determined and committed pedophile.” He pleaded not guilty to rape, but entered a guilty plea on three counts of sexual assault involving children, six counts relating to child pornography, and one count of possessing “extreme” animal pornography.
The two women also pleaded guilty to similarly disturbing charges. The court heard that Watkins sent one woman a text message that read, “If you belong to me, so does your baby.” The judge reportedly told the jury, “You have been saved from having to watch extremely graphic and distressing material.”
Lostprophets’ 2004 album Say Something moved more than a half-million units in the United States, where the group opened for the likes of Linkin Park and the Deftones. But Watkins’ band was always more famous back home, regularly topping the U.K. rock album chart all the way up through last year’s Weapons.
Watkins had originally told police he was the “victim of a malicious campaign.” The prosecutor said drugs such as meth, cocaine, and GHB were a “regular theme” in these heinous acts. Sentencing is set for December 18. Meanwhile, Lostprophets washed their hands of the group and its singer via an October Facebook post:
To our fans:
After nearly a year of coming to terms with our heartache, we finally feel ready to announce publicly what we have thought privately for some time. We can no longer continue making or performing music as Lostprophets. Your love and support over the past 15 years has been tremendous, and we’ll be forever grateful for all you’ve given us. As we look forward to the next phase of our lives, we can only hope to be surrounded by people as devoted and inspiring as you guys have been.
Jamie, Lee, Luke, Mike, and Stu
