by Andrew Trendell | Photos by WENN.com

Tags: Lostprophets

Lostprophets' singer Ian Watkins' guilty of child sex offences

Former rock frontman faces 24 charges

 

Lostprophets' singer Ian Watkins' guilty of child sex offences

Photo: WENN.com

Former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins has appeared in court for child sex offences, admitting 13 sex offences - including two to attempt to rape a baby. 

Watkins was arrested in December 2012, and currently faces 24 charges that include the rape of a baby and the posession of 'extreme' animal pornography.

BBC News reports that yesterday, a panel of 22 potential jurors were selected at Cardiff Crown Court in Wales, where Watkins was present. The singer also appeared alongside two women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, but also face sexual offence charges as part of the trial. 

The BBC then added that he admitted charges of attempting to rape a baby. He pleaded guilty to attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 but not guilty to rape. 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.

Chris Clee QC, prosecuting, 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." .

The court was also told that Watkins filmed and kept footage of abuse that were recovered by police.

Of the women facing trial alongside, Mr Clee said: "Both women sexually abused their own children and made them available to Watkins for him to abuse."

One of the defendants, known as Woman A, confessed to the attempted rape of a baby after denying rape and two charges of sexual assault and the taking and distributing of an indecent photograph of a child.

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

Following the admissions, Judge Justice Royce told the jury: "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.

He added: "You have been saved from having to watch extremely graphic and distressing material."

In total Ian Watkins, 35, from Pontypridd faced allegations of two counts of rape of a child under one-year of age, one count of sexual assault of the same child and one count of conspiracy to rape another baby. The offences are alleged to have been committed between March 2007 and December 2012.

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