Ian Watkins Dead

Of course I feel no sadness that he is dead but I also feel no joy that he was murdered. It would be better he was alive as his life in prison would not have been comfortable

despite being surrounded by men that have committed the most violent crimes we do not know if any of these men could have been manipulated into attacking him (some will be more vulnerable than you think)

and this will just make it more difficult for the staff at the prison, not just the investigation but the aftermath, unsettled prisoners it will be very challenging for them

there is nothing to celebrate but I do understand his victims feeling relieved

You're upset about the wrong thing. We’re just glossing over what this guy did? I’m not even repeating it, it’s vile.

At last! I know he was attacked before but survived. I hope he died in a lot of pain.

It’s worrying that some would prefer mob rule, kangaroo courts and summary execution at the hands of other violent and depraved criminals (who will then be lauded and held in esteem) to a proper, established justice system with legal representation, rights and protections for everyone.

But then the world does seem to going in a scarily reactionary direction at the moment.

I’m with this comment. The contributions from prison workers with actual knowledge of these situations has been enlightening and interesting.

Watkins was the worst of the worst. He will never hurt anyone again and for that I feel a palpable sense of relief, albeit I’m not personally affected. I’m not sorry. I am sorry that there are people who simply by being in his orbit will be affected by this: his secondary victims.

But vigilantism is never, ever a good thing whether it happens in or out of prison. I feel for the poor staff who had to witness and clean up after the whole mess - hope they have access to therapy for PTSD - and the prison guards whose already dangerous jobs are less safe if this kind of situation can be allowed to slip through the net.

This whole story is distasteful in the extreme, as is the salivating and vicarious pleasure seen around the internet discussions. I can share the sentiment that a true horror of a human being has got what was coming to him, without the need to congratulate a dirty murderer or crack open the bubbly to ‘celebrate’.

I cannot be in any way sad about this.

But I do agree with previous posters about it putting a focus on safety in prisons-it is really concerning a prisoner in Wakefield (which I think, though don't know lots about this- is colloquially referred to as monster mansion because of the type of inmate) has been able to possess a weapon capable of killing someone.

The prison staff must be rightly worried. I hope the whole prison is put in lockdown and thoroughly searched for other weapons.

I find this thread pretty distasteful. Obviously this guy was a depraved piece of shit, it hardly needs saying. I am not sorry he’s dead.

But people falling over themselves to congratulate other pieces of shit who were likely also sexual predators for stabbing him in the neck, calling them “mate” like someone from the pub and offering to buy them wine is just making me cringe. How badly do you need validation to want it from violent prisoners? FFS.

Yes, this. ^ 👏

Me too. The bleeding heart liberals can take their overthinking regarding the subject to look all fair and humanitarian elsewhere. Some monsters need death for their crimes. Saves a lot of money too.

I am in favour of capital punishment, so yes. I agree.

No one mourns the wicked as they say.

Well said!

Chris Watts apparently received fan letters by the sack load after his conviction(s) so not surprising in a way that IW still had some diehards.

Jolly good news I say. Someone took the trash out.

I’m not sad at his demise.

However, in a UK prison, in the 21st century, and regardless of their crimes, if we are not using the death sentence (largely because of several unsafe convictions that resulted in wrongful deaths by capital punishment such as Hanratty, as a result of which we believe that capital punishment is immoral), then we really need to keep prisons safer for the inmates.

How do prisoners get their hands on drugs?
How do they have access to large sums of money?
How do violent prisoners manage to “sharpen toilet brush sticks” to create a stab weapon?
Why do violent prisoners have access to boiling water and sugar, or anything that can become a weapon, as the Southport killer recently used, when he attacked another inmate?

I get that prisons are probably under-staffed, and accept that there may be some degree of corruption, as evidenced by recent prison guard related stories in the news, but it seems that these environments are getting more dangerous, and for any prisoner that is later found to be innocent, as in the recent case of Andrew Malkinson, a convicted accused rapist that served 17 years or so, we then have to accept the awful consequences of what that one innocent person has been through, and pay them compensation (rightly so).

But the compensation would, arguably, be far less, if the prisons were not so dangerous in the first place. A good start would be to improve the mental health provision and remove all access to drugs.

I would even support reintroducing the death penalty for absolutely incontrovertibly proven murderers - including those who murder inside prison, if people could then come out of prison reformed, instead of being hardened or broken by the system…

I bet he didn’t suffer as much as his victims. That’s that most scandalous part of this story.

I wouldn't advocate for the death penalty, but in some parallel universe where we had the death penalty, surely Ian Watkins would've been a contender?

So, I'm not surprised or sad that he has been killed. I am sure he was not having much of a life in prison, so not much of a loss

People like him are always a target inside.

Well if the person that did it was also a paedo, he's probably not that bothered about IW being one.

I understand this is an unpopular opinion, but we don’t (for good reason) have capital punishment or allow mob justice here.

It's not unpopular with me, @IdealisticCynic . There have been so many miscarriages of justice that a lot of innocent people would have been wrongly killed if we still had the death penalty.

Oh no, I think it is good that he will now be given extra time. That's two sex offenders not walking the streets any time soon. I’m glad IW is dead, it eliminates further risk to society but the person who did it is also a risk to society, so death for one and longer jail time for the other is a positive outcome imo.

I'm more surprised he still had groupies. The man gave me the creeps, even in his heyday he gave me the creeps.

Yes to protect their children

And whilst there is no excuse for what they did they were groomed by an evil paedophile

Possibly angry about him having guitar lessons and groupies because of what he did.

Christ. I can’t believe people are saying they “feel sorry” for his murderers (two men involved).

No one forced these vicious brutes to murder. And reports are that they did NOT do so because of horror of Watkins’ crimes, nor to avenge his victims, nor whatever other fictitious virtuous motivation they wish to bestow, but instead because of a petty grudge.

What bloody saints. 🙄