TW! To not understand the people, mostly women, who sent Ian Watkins letters and money?

[DuvetsFTW]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-49249133.amp

The article is from 2019, but relevant given recent events.

I cannot believe that hundreds of people, mostly women, were allegedly writing letters to Ian Watkins in prison and even sending him money!!! To me, it’s terrifying that these people walk discreetly amongst us. If they’ll help this man, what else will they do? Where is the bar to them?

I’d be interested in hearing about the psychology of all this as I just can’t understand it!

My stepsister used to write to death row criminals. I’ve got no idea what they’ve done but presumably being on death row they are not upstanding citizens or not for long anyway.
But the mind boggled she just said she found them interesting 🥴

Watkins pleaded guilty and there were videos of him committing his crimes, so how could anyone believe his innocence!!?

Gannon and Ward on DMFSO is a good place to begin. They discuss the categories of females who sexually offend and their very different pathways into offending to their male counterparts. The research is still in its infancy as the rates comparable to men are so small (although still significant) and it’s incredibly difficult for women to admit their crimes to the offender managers working with them.

Additionally, identifying them often comes as a secondary discovery, I.e they or their partner are being investigated for another crime and it comes to light.

Being victims of abuse, having a low I.q and being vulnerable in many other ways are very often factors seen in female offenders of this kind.

None of the above makes women ‘better’ or excuses their crimes in any way, it’s just the facts. Once caught, their reoffending rates are extremely low when compared with men.

However, there is absolutely an issue with vulnerable women, desperate for love who will centre men above their own children. We’ve all seen it. Of course not to the extent of child sex abuse, but all of us probably know at least one women who has, at some point, prioritised a new relationship over the safety and wellbeing of her children. The women in the case we are discussing are at the extreme end of that. But I do think it’s a wider societal problem not much spoken about outside the criminal justice system that needs addressing.

Absolute wronguns who ought to be investigated…..

I agree. I get that these women haven’t done anything legally wrong. However, it’s terrifying that they will have clean DBS checks and can work with children.

Wow. I have no words. Who, in their right mind would want any contact with this monster. I was relieved to hear he was killed as sick as that may sound. Absolute scumbag.

Same reason as why women write to many other prisoners. In the US there is page called Write a prisoner - https://writeaprisoner.com/
its like dating website 🙈😂😂

I recommend watching love after locked on discovery+

I had no idea. Horrifying.

That website is mind-boggling! All chatting on about how they are sporty and respectful, then you follow a link that tells you they're a rapist.

Yup, all crimes are listed. I mean not all these people look for relationship (although most do), some look for spiritual support or legal.
But the bottom line is, there is a lot of women who will write to prisoners, send them money etc. The love after lockup and life after lockup are quite good, showing how inmates coming out(both man and women) meet with their “partners” that they met while in prison,how their life’s together, on probation (!) unfolds, some even get married before release!

It's a well established phenomenon. Still mind-boggling.

It’s such s common thing with the worst male criminals having women write to them in jail. I don’t get it.

It's not common, however it's mainly women who do this

Agree with this. I think a lot of people didn't know who he was before his arrest so don't appreciate that he was pretty famous (one of their albums was no1 in the uk charts in the times when people bought physical copies) so he will have fans from those days who probably know he's not innocent but are overlooking it because they're so excited that they can communicate with someone they were a huge fan of who might actually write back/meet them?
I think it's disturbing but I do get why it would happen

It’s awful and I don’t understand why anyone would want to do that either but I suspect (and this is no excuse of course but only because you are asking about the psychology) that most of those women will have had significant childhood sexual abuse and trauma.

I find it bizarre and disgusting they not right mind in their head. These women who offered ian watkins need to be dealt with seriously not just few years in prison they need life and never again allowed to go near children or babies and have them give them the opportunity to remove their wombs so they can not have any more children

Most, if not all of them, absolutely have children.

What I’ve noticed about these prison groupies is there’s a certain type of woman more likely to be sucked into this and that type of woman is often someone who lives (what they see as) quite a staid boring life, don’t get the opportunity to go out much and are desperate for a man, probably have liked and been dumped by “bad boys” their whole life…I think a woman like that is more likely to be a mother.

And obviously in this situation where the man is a sex offender they are very sick and deviant to boot. These must be the kind of women who turn a blind eye to boyfriends abusing their children. Disgusting and sad.

There are some sick twisted sub species around but it seems a whole other thing to love, worship and hand children to these sick twisted sub species that seems a whole other level of demented

'I’d be interested in hearing about the psychology of all this as I just can’t understand it!'

I feel the same about the 2% of people who voted YABU.....

TBF he was beautiful when he was younger.

What the hell?!?

Even If he had looked like a catwalk model (he flipping didn’t!), how on Earth would that excuse turning a blind eye to his despicable crimes?!? Should beautiful people get off with abusing children?

...er... I didn't say anything like that did I? Jesus. I am just saying he attracted a lot of female attention because of his looks.

He was one of the best looking on the emo scene back in the day IMO which is how he got away with a lot of it