Mike Lewis On Ian Watkins !!

Ian Watkins: Ex-girlfriend and former Lostprophets bandmates break

Ian Watkins: Ex-girlfriend and former Lostprophets bandmates break silence on jailed singer after child sex abuse conviction. Guitarists Mike Lewis and Lee Gaze and ex-girlfriend Karen Ruttner

Two former members of Lostprophets, guitarists Mike Lewis and Lee Gaze, have described how they were “shocked beyond comprehension” when they found out that frontman Ian Watkins was facing allegations of child abuse.

Lewis – who has a young daughter - had known the singer since he was five, while father-of-two Gaze met him as a 15-year-old.

“I’ve thought about it long and hard and, no, I have no interest in ever speaking to him again,” Lewis told the Sunday Times.

“I feel incredibly bad for his mother and his whole family and the stigma they have to endure now because of what he’s done and what his actions have done to hurt many people.

Watkins was sentenced to 35 years in prison in December 2013, following a series of serious sex offences involving children. The 36-year-old admitted to the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13, but pleaded not guilty to rape.

He also confessed to conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

“I tried reading the judge’s report. I couldn’t even finish it,” said Lewis. “To think that somebody I grew up with, who I had been friends with my entire life, whose mother I knew, and how close our families were — to even imagine him… I find it utterly unbelievable that he was capable of doing those things. Obviously he did, but how somebody can…

Although the band knew that Watkins was struggling with drug addiction, Gaze said that there was “was absolutely nothing that led us to suspect what he’d done”.

“[Ian] spent the longest time trying to convince us that somebody was trying to get revenge on him,” recalled Gaze.

“He’d created such a web of people, bouncing these women off each other, that it was perfectly feasible that one of these women hated him so much that she wanted to catch him out.”

Karen Ruttner - who dated Watkins for years, before becoming a part of the Lostprophets management team after their relationship ended – “cried every day for three months” following his guilty plea. She has been undergoing therapy to help her deal with what's happened.

“This person that I had been so close with at that point, for six years, was… capable of this? I thought I knew when he was lying,” she said. “I thought I knew what his demons were. This was not on the list of presumed demons.”

An inquiry is currently being held into whether the celebrity status of Watkins may have prevented him from being brought to justice sooner.

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins' former bandmates speak of

Ian Watkins' former bandmates Lee Gaze (centre) and Mike Lewis (right) have spoken about the shamed singer (second from right), who has been jailed for child abuse Former bandmates of paedophile Ian Watkins say they have severed all ties with the shamed singer after he was jailed for child sex abuse.

Two members of the band have spoken for the first time since Watkins, 36, was jailed for 35 years for a string of sex offences - including the attempted rape of a baby.

Guitarists Lee Gaze and Mike Lewis told of their sense of betrayal after first believing the band's former frontman was innocent following his initial arrest.

Ian Watkins' former bandmates Lee Gaze (centre) and Mike Lewis (right) have spoken about the shamed singer (second from right), who has been jailed for child abuse

Guitar player Lee Gaze, 39, said he had initially feared for his one-time friend when he was held in prison and maintained his innocence.

'To be in prison, where he's going to be the guy from the rock band with those charges, I was worried. But then I reached a point where real resentment set in.'

Watkins, 36, was jailed for 29 years after admitting a string of child sex offences - including the attempted rape of a baby

He said he has no interest in ever speaking to Watkins again, saying he doesn't think the jailed singer would explain himself anyway.

Watkins, whose group sold more than 3.5m records but have now split, told his bandmates he was set up after rumours emerged that he had been found in possession of indecent images of children, following his drugs arrest in a 2012.

Father-of-two Gaze, who was 17 when he met then-15-year-old Watkins, said the singer repeatedly told his bandmates he had been wrongly incriminated.

In an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine's Krissi Murison, fellow guitarist Mike Lewis, who has known Watkins since the pair met aged five at infants school in Pontypridd, south Wales, said: 'I find it utterly unbelievable that he was capable of doing those things.'

He said his shock was made all the worse by the fact that he been friends with Watkins, known his family and grown up alongside him.

Lewis, 36, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four-year-old daughter, said he had severed all links with his former bandmate and once close friend.

He said he had also considered whether he would want to speak to Watkins in prison but had decided he would not, even if he was given the chance.

Lewis said he was away on holiday when Watkins was charged with a string of offences, including the abuse of children.

The band split last October ahead of Watkins' trial but his former bandmates now plan to form a new group.

Lewis said the band's 'legacy' had been 'wiped out' by Watkins' crimes and it is now impossible for the band to be proud of their achievements.

Picture of Watkins on Skype. His crimes included getting a fan to abuse her baby as he watched on a webcam

Watkins was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court in December and told he would have to serve at least 35 years before being considered for release.

The court heard that after sexually touching a groupie's 11-month-old baby, Watkins tried to have penetrative sex with the child.

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

Sentencing judge Mr Justice Royce told Watkins: 'Those who have appeared in these courts over many years see a large number of horrific cases. This case, however, breaks new ground.

'I am satisfied that you are a deeply corrupting influence, you are highly manipulative, you are a sexual predator, you are dangerous.'

'I am going to put a statement out just to say it was mega lolz,' he said. 'I don't know what everyone is getting so freaked out about.'

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a video about Ian Watkins and Mike Lewis - YouTube

they are not gay! i made this vid because they are close friends

Former Lostprophets members give their first interview about Ian Watkins

Former Lostprophets members—guitarists Lee Gaze and Mike Lewis—have given their first interview regarding ex-bandmate Ian Watkins, who is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for a Former Lostprophets members—guitarists Lee Gaze and Mike Lewis—have given their first interview regarding ex-bandmate Ian Watkins, who is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for a plethora of disturbing child sex offenses.  A former acquaintance of Watkins, Karen Ruttner, was also interviewed along with the band members.

The full interview, conducted by London’s Sunday Times, is currently sitting behind a paywall, but you can read a few clips of it below, as excerpted by The PRP.

“At first he was sort of humble and assured us it wasn’t a problem. But later, I got the impression that he came away from that first intervention thinking, ‘Fuck those guys, they’re judging me, I can do whatever I want.’ At that point, the rest of us were all married, or very stable in our lives. I think part of the whole midlife crisis was a rebellion against the rest of us, in terms of, ‘You guys are all settling down with your wives and 2.4 children; well, I’m going to go the other way.’”

“His priority was no longer the band being successful, but more being in a band to sustain another life he had, which he seemed to enjoy more, which was sleeping around with girls and taking drugs. He was in his own world, doing his own thing. You wouldn’t really want to hang out with him unless you had to.”

“Never, within all the years of touring with Ian and knowing Ian, have I ever seen him with an underage girl, ever. It was always women over the age of 18.”

“I tried reading the judge’s report. I couldn’t even finish it. To think that somebody I grew up with, who I had been friends with my entire life, whose mother I knew, and how close our families were — to even imagine him… I find it utterly unbelievable that he was capable of doing those things. Obviously he did, but how somebody can… I don’t understand it, I’m afraid.”

“There was absolutely nothing that led us to suspect what he’d done. I think he created such a smokescreen. I hate to rely on clichés, but when you see the profile of a paedophile, he couldn’t be any further from it. He was always surrounded by all these women, so it just seemed impossible.”

“For the first two months he was in prison [before the guilty plea], I worried about how he was, knowing that he’s quite a weak character. He’s a bit of a coward, not a tough guy by any means. To be in prison, where he’s going to be the guy from the rock band with those charges, I was worried. But then I reached a point where real resentment set in.”

“I’ve thought about it long and hard and, no, I have no interest in ever speaking to him again. I feel incredibly bad for his mother and his whole family and the stigma they have to endure now because of what he’s done and what his actions have done to hurt many people. But I have no interest in questioning him about it. Never.”

KennyHoopla and Eyedress make their cover debuts with Alternative Press this July. As you can expect each month, Issue 396 has no shortage of discovery, new music, in-depth interviews, new photos and more.

Ian Watkins (Lostprophets singer) - Wikipedia

Ian David Karslake Watkins was born in Merthyr Tydfil on 30 July 1977. He later moved to Pontypridd , where he attended Hawthorn High School with future Lostprophets bandmate Mike Lewis . [2] He gained a first-class honours degree in graphic design from the University of Wales, Newport . Ian David Karslake Watkins (born 30 July 1977) is a Welsh convicted sex offender and former singer, songwriter, and musician. He achieved prominence as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Lostprophets.[2] In 2013, he was sentenced to 29 years of imprisonment for multiple sexual offences, including the sexual assault of young children and babies.[3][4] Lostprophets disbanded shortly thereafter and the other members formed the band No Devotion, with American singer Geoff Rickly replacing Watkins.

Ian David Karslake Watkins was born in Merthyr Tydfil on 30 July 1977.[5] He later moved to Pontypridd, where he attended Hawthorn High School with future Lostprophets bandmate Mike Lewis.[2] He gained a first-class honours degree in graphic design from the University of Wales, Newport.[6]

Lewis' and Watkins's mutual enjoyment of rock and metal music strengthened their friendship, leading them to form a group as teenagers in 1991 called Aftermath, a thrash metal band that played in a shed in Watkins's garden.[2] Whilst spending time in the local Ynysangharad Park, where (17 years later) Lostprophets would headline The Full Ponty festival, Watkins was introduced to future bandmate Lee Gaze through a mutual friend. Having abandoned Aftermath, which made two live appearances in its lifespan of two years, Watkins and Gaze decided to form a new band called Fleshbind, based on their American hardcore punk influences. The band played several shows, including one supporting Feeder in London, but the group was short-lived.[2]

Watkins reunited with Mike Lewis as a drummer in a hardcore band called Public Disturbance, formed in 1995. By this time, Watkins and Gaze had left Fleshbind to create their own band, Lost Prophets, who made their live debut in May 1997 alongside Public Disturbance, with Watkins as the lead vocalist. In 1998, Watkins left Public Disturbance to concentrate on the newly named lostprophets (all lower-case letters).

On New Year's Eve 2008, Watkins took part in a concert for Kidney Wales Foundation and stated that his reasons for being involved were as a result of his mother needing a kidney transplant: "Having that direct experience is why I wanted to get more involved with Kidney Wales and organise a fundraising concert on New Year's Eve."[7] The concert featured Welsh bands the Blackout, Kids in Glass Houses, and Attack! Attack![citation needed]

In 2009, Watkins started a remixing side project called "L'Amour La Morgue". He released 17 remixes by artists such as the Killers, Beyoncé, Young Guns, Magic Wands, Tears for Fears, and Bring Me the Horizon. He also released a free mixtape, which was available online, along with a free download of a song that was premiered at a fashion show in 2008.[8]

Lostprophets recorded five albums: The Fake Sound of Progress, Start Something, Liberation Transmission, The Betrayed, and Weapons. They toured extensively in Europe and America,[9] playing shows such as the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2004, 2007, 2009, and 2010.[10][11]

On 19 December 2012, Watkins was charged at Cardiff magistrates court with conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a one-year-old girl and possession and/or distribution of indecent images of children and "extreme animal pornography". He was remanded in custody, as were his two female co-accused. His barrister said Watkins would deny the accusations.[12][13][14] On 31 December, he appeared at Cardiff Crown Court via video link from HM Prison Parc in Bridgend, and was remanded in custody until 11 March 2013.[15] The case was adjourned until May, with the trial date set for 15 July.[16] At a hearing on 3 June, he denied the charges via a video link.[17]

On 6 June, it was announced that the trial would start on 25 November and was expected to last a month. A previous application for the court venue to be moved outside Wales was denied.[18] On 26 November, 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. He further pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault involving children; six counts of taking, making, or possessing indecent images of children; and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.[4] His victims included a baby boy,[19][20] and he sent a text message to the mother of one victim that said, "If you belong to me, so does your baby."[4] The South Wales Police investigation into Watkins, codenamed "Operation Globe", required the co-operation of GCHQ to decrypt a hidden drive on his laptop, which was found to contain video evidence of his abuses.[19] On 27 November, the day after his guilty plea had been accepted by the prosecution, Watkins referred to his sex offences as "mega lolz" in a recorded phone call to a female fan made from HM Prison Parc.[21]

A sentencing hearing was held at Cardiff on 18 December 2013. In mitigation, Watkins's barrister, Sally O'Neill QC, said that Watkins had no recollection of the case involving the attempted rape, but had "belatedly realised the gravity of what happened" after having developed an "obsession" with videoing himself having sex.[20] Justice John Royce sentenced Watkins to 29 years in prison, with eligibility to apply for parole after serving two thirds of his prison term, followed by six years of supervised release. His two co-defendants, the mothers of his victims, respectively received sentences of 14 and 17 years imprisonment.[22] The judge said the case "plunged into new depths of depravity".[20] A senior investigating officer on the case described Watkins as a "committed, organised paedophile" and "potentially the most dangerous sex offender" he had ever seen.[23]

Watkins was transferred from HM Prison Parc, where he had been incarcerated while on remand, to HM Prison Wakefield to begin serving his sentence.[24] In order to be closer to his mother after she had a kidney transplant, he was transferred to HM Prison Long Lartin on 25 January 2014.[25] He was subsequently transferred to HM Prison Rye Hill.[citation needed] On 9 October 2017, Watkins was accused of grooming a young mother from prison.[26] As of March 2018, he was back at HMP Wakefield.[27]

An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation report published in summer 2016 said that three detectives from the South Wales force should face disciplinary action after they failed to act on earlier allegations of abuse by Watkins from 2008 onward.[28][29]

A further IPCC report, published in August 2017, found that police had failed a number of times from 2008 to 2012 to act on reports of Watkins's behaviour, quoting a detective who said that Watkins had "a number of fans and ex-girlfriends making allegations that when investigated are false".[30][31][32] The report concluded:

The consequence of the force's failings was arguably that a predatory paedophile offended over an extended period of time. The evidence obtained in this investigation suggests that South Wales Police were faced with a litany of reports about his behaviour, yet in some instances did not carry out even rudimentary investigation, made errors and omissions and missed opportunities to bring him to justice earlier than he ultimately was.[19]

South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said his force "entirely accepts and regrets" the findings of the report.[31]

In March 2018, Watkins was found with a mobile phone.[27][33] He pleaded not guilty to the offence of "possession of a mobile phone in a prison", claiming other inmates were threatening and extorting him, forcing him to hide the phone.[34] After a five-day trial at Leeds Crown Court in August 2019, he was convicted and sentenced to an additional ten months' imprisonment.[27][33][35][36]

Lostprophets - Wikipedia

Ian Watkins. Lostprophets were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins, bassist and later guitarist Mike Lewis, guitarist Lee Gaze, and drummer Mike Chiplin. The band was founded as a side project of the band Public Disturbance, and was part of the Cardiff music scene.

Lostprophets: 'He said he was innocent' - The Guardian

Lostprophets: 'He said he was innocent'. When lead singer Ian Watkins pleaded guilty to 13 child sex offences, his former bandmates went into a state of shock. Now, still angry and confused, they

Lostprophets ex-bassist recalls “vile” death threats with singer’s arrest

Former Lostprophets bassist Stuart Richardson opens up about his time working with ex-vocalist Ian Watkins, who has been convicted of several child-related sex crimes. Watkins is currently serving

Mike Lewis (musician) and similar musical artists | Frankensaurus.com

Watkins was born in Merthyr Tydfil, and later moved to Pontypridd, where he attended Hawthorn High School with future bandmate Mike Lewis. Ian Watkins (Lostprophets singer) - Wikipedia Lostprophets was a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd , Wales, formed in 1997, founded by vocalist and lyricist Ian Watkins , bassist (later guitarist) Mike Lewis

Public Disturbance (band) - Wikipedia

Neil Smith. Public Disturbance (often abbreviated to PD) were a metalcore band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in 1995. They went on to release two demos and two full-length albums, as well as contributing to several UKHC compilations before disbanding in late 2000. Ian Watkins and Mike Lewis went on to find fame in their side-project Lostprophets . mike lewis on ian watkins

mike lewis on ian watkins

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