What a week for Ian Watkins. The disgraced former Lostprophets singer was in court for illegally possessing a cellphone in prison.
Five years ago, Watkins was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually abusing infant children (to put it mildly), saying at the time in 2014, he did it for the LOLZ. The short version of Watkins' disgusting acts is that he was raping infants, conspiring to rape children and even blowing methamphetamine smoke in an infant's face to get it addicted to the drug. Thankfully, his band and family outed him as soon as they found out.
Last year, while holed up at the high-security HM Prison Wakefield in Wakefield, England, Watkins was caught in illegal possession of a cellphone. The trial started earlier this week, where it was revealed that Watkins produced a cellphone from his anus after being strip searched.
The Independent reported earlier this week that Watkins claims he was holding the phone because certain inmates were threatning him if he didn't and that these inmates were “murderers and handy.” Watkins testified “You would not want to mess with them,” adding that “their MO is throat cutting” when they don’t get their way. Asked to name the inmates, Watkins replied, “No. I like my head on my body.”
Watkins said the inmates wanted him to supply phone numbers of fans of Watkins' who could serve as revenue streams for the inmates.
“He said he put some numbers in the phone for the two other prisoners, selecting people he thought would not cooperate or who were abroad and out of harm’s way.
“Asked why he did not tell prison staff, he said there was a rumour the prisoner who owned the phone had an officer bringing him things in from outside.
“’Once you snitch in jail it just brings a world of trouble down on you,’ he added.”
Watkins was found guilty of possession and 10 months were added to his prison sentence.
Judge Rodney Jameson QC said on Friday: "I am very conscious of the fact you are serving a very long time and you will be well into middle age by the time you are released. The fact of the matter is if there is not an appreciable penalty for having had a mobile phone in these circumstances then of course you would draw from that the lesson you could have another one and that is not a position I would want to encourage."
Watkins will be eligible to apply for parole in 2029 according to his barrister Gareth Burrows. "The reality is this is a man whose liberty has been and will be restricted for a considerable period of time. The mobile phone, Your Honour may think, gave him some degree of freedom that he just can't get in any other way."
The added sentence will delay Watkins' parole application by five months.
