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Source: bbc.co.uk

Ian Watkins, singer of Welsh rock band LOSTPROPHETS, has pleaded guilty to a series of “depraved” child sex offences including attempted rape of a baby.

He had previously “furiously denied” the allegations.

The 36-year-old from Pontypridd had been due to stand trial at Cardiff Crown Court alongside two women.

Watkins pleaded guilty to attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 but not guilty to rape. This was accepted by the prosecution.

Prosecuting barrister Chris Clee QC told the court: “Ian Watkins was the lead singer in a successful band called the Lostprophets.

“He accepts he was a determined and committed paedophile.”

Watkins also admitted three counts of sexual assault involving children and six involving taking, making possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

The evidence against the defendant came from computers, laptops and mobile phones. with some recovered from “cloud” storage.

The court heard that he filmed and kept the episodes of abuse – which took place in various hotels in London and south Wales – that were recovered by police.

Some of the evidence was too extreme and distressing to report.

Referring to two women standing alongside Watkins in the dock, Mr Clee said: “Both women sexually abused their own children and made them available to Watkins for him to abuse.”

The court was told how the abuse of the children by all parties was also evident in text messages.

Watkins sent a text to one of the women saying: “If you belong to me, so does your baby.”

In another exchange with a second woman, she messaged Watkins images of her child saying: “She needs to know mummy and daddy don’t love her.”

Watkins also planned to “teach” the babies how to take drugs, the hearing was told.

The court heard in Oct 2006, Watkins met up in a hotel with a 16-year-old girl from Boston, whom he had met during during a Lostprophets concert.

She dressed in a schoolgirl’s outfit and he filmed their encounter.

In Oct 2008 he filmed himself having sex with another 16-year-old girl, who was also a Lostprophets fan.

One defendant, Woman A, admitted the attempted rape of a baby after denying rape and two charges of sexual assault as well as taking and distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

Woman B pleaded guilty to conspiring to rape a child, three sexual assault charges and four charges of taking, possessing or distributing indecent images.

After hearing legal argument from barristers, Mr Justice Royce called the jury into court and told them: “There will not be a trial in this case. The defendants have all pleaded guilty to nearly all the charges against them. The prosecution does not seek a trial in these circumstances.

“You have been saved from having to watch extremely graphic and distressing material.”

Sally O’Neill, defending Watkins, said the singer was under the care of a psychiatrist.

Lostprophets, who have sold 3.5m albums around the world, were co-founded by the singer in 1997.