Opinion Piece - Ian Watkins

Evil former rock star Ian Watkins will spend a well deserved 35 years in prison after receiving his sentence at Cardiff Crown Court. For some this is peace of mind, Lostprophets guitarist lee gaze commented on the social media site Twitter: ‘Thanks for all the kind words, at least there is closure now’ after he learnt that Watkins had pleaded guilty. Yet for many, including myself, there are questions that have not been answered, moral issues that have not been solved and justice that has not yet been served.

While he spends his time behind bars Watkins will continue to collate thousands of pounds through performance royalties. A luxury that should not be maintained. He will receive monetary gain from a persona he created not only to become a successful musician, but a persona he later used as a tool to seduce and groom young females with the intent to sexually abuse their children. The entire idea to continue gaining worth off this ‘rock star’ persona feels morally wrong. Watkins will ensure he stays wealthy, ready to stroll back into the same lifestyle, exactly where he left off. Yet the people’s lives that he has scarred forever will never be the same. Where’s their monetary gain? Watkins Describes the entire ordeal as ‘Mega Lolz’, it’s clear this monster shows no remorse for his inexcusable actions and intent.

Although many radio stations have actively avoided giving the Lostprophets airtime, their music will continue to be played across the world. Whenever Watkins appears on the news, public curiosity generates a spike of YouTube plays and internet searches. Every time this occurs Watkins benefits. With over 45k twitter followers there is a sad reality that there’s no preventing the ever increasing fame and wealth of this criminal, no matter how disgusting the crime.

Although the sentencing has been carried out and Watkins is safely behind bars, there is an air of ignorance surrounding this messy case. Police ignored Joanne Mjedzelics, a former acquaintance, who actively raised her concerns over four years ago after receiving a disturbing image. Why was nothing done about it? During an interview with the BBC she says “I would be either going to the police station or I’d be on the phone to them repeatedly saying, you need to do something…giving them details, giving them names of victims.” Yet the police clearly did nothing to pursue these allegations despite Joanne’s determination. Reasons for this are unclear, Joanne tells the BBC “Whatever he [Ian] said they basically latched onto that and thought they could just use this as an excuse to just not do anything.” However it is obvious that celebrity status has been taken into account, as it is evident now, there were an abundance of sinister things for them to uncover.

The more I dwell on the subject I cant help but think that the rest of the Lostprophets aren’t as doe eyed and innocent as they claim to be. The band formed in 1997 and worked closely together for fifteen years. Working as part of a touring rock band means living in extremely close quarters for months at a time, eating together, drinking together and partying together. Often all of this is within the confined space of a tour bus, it’s hard to believe the rest of the band were totally ignorant to what was happening. The band, excluding Watkins, posted a statement on Facebook claiming their innocence, denying they were aware of the brutal actions of the 36 year old. They have also continued to urge other victims to come forward. The future of the Lostprophets remained uncertain after the band cancelled all tour dates, but rightly so they later announced their breakup in October 2013. Musicians Lee Gaze, Mike Lewis, Jamie Oliver, Luke Johnson and Stuart Richardson are now working with Geoff Rickly, ex-frontman of US rock band Thursday. It is unlikely that any of these unanswered questions will be revealed, it’s a sad reality that in our modern society, things like this still occur. No band, no matter their success, would be right in continuing a venture that has become poisoned in such a way by the lead vocalist.