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Joanne Mjadzelics, the former girlfriend of late Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins, has spoken out after learning of his death behind bars — expressing both shock and relief at the news.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Mjadzelics said, “This is a big shock, but I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. I was always waiting for this phone call. He was walking around with a target on his back from the first day he entered prison.”
Mjadzelics, who was instrumental in exposing Watkins’ horrific crimes, revealed that the news brought her a sense of closure. “I have always been scared of him getting out and tracking me down or something, so this is a relief,” she explained. “I wanted him dead for a long time after everything he did. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my head.”
She also reflected on how long Watkins had been incarcerated and the repeated violence he faced while imprisoned: “This is the second time someone has slashed his throat. I expected it to have happened earlier. He’s been in there for almost 13 years.”
According to The Sun, Watkins was killed by another inmate, who reportedly slashed his jugular vein, leading to his death by blood loss before guards could intervene. A prison source called it “the most brutal attack imaginable, even by prison standards.”
Two men, aged 25 and 43, have since been arrested in connection with the killing.
Watkins, once the frontman of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, had been serving a 29-year sentence since December 2013 after pleading guilty to 13 child sex offenses, including attempted rape of a child, sexual assault, and possession of indecent images involving children and animals.