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Lostprophets have released a full statment on their regarding the recent trial and admitted crimes from lead singer Ian Watkins.
Earlier this week, frontman of Lostprophets Ian Watkins was held in court where he changed his plea of sexually assulting a child and the conspiracy to rape a baby, to guilty. Watkins was then charged with 13 different offences that included the creation and distrubution of indecent images and having sex with under-age fans.
The band have since posted on their Facebook, expressing to fans their apologies and explaining they had no knowledge of Ian's behaviour. In the statement the band wrote, "Many of you understandably want to know if we knew what Ian was doing. To be clear: We did not. We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge."
They contiued, "we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted."
You can read the full statement from the band below:
"Earlier this week, we learned that the allegations of child sexual abuse against Ian were true, and that he would not be contesting them in court. Until then, we found them extremely difficult to believe and had hoped it was all a mistake. Sadly, the true extent of his appalling behaviour is now impossible to deny.
We are heartbroken, angry, and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them. It's still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way.
Our hearts go out to Ian's family, the fans and friends he betrayed, and most importantly, the victims of his crimes and others like them. We hope for justice, but also that Ian will truly take responsibility for what he's done. We would urge any other victims to contact the authorities."
Ian Watkins will be sentenced later this month.
