Ian Watkins admits attempting to rape baby

The drug-crazed former lead singer with multi-million selling band Lostprophets plotted the abuse with two mothers in a series of text and internet messages in which he spoke of his desire to “cross the line” and to intoxicate one of his victims by blowing crystal-meth smoke into the child’s face.

Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has pleaded guilty. Picture: PA

Watkins, 36, from Pontypridd, south Wales, pleaded guilty to a string of sex offences he had previously denied in a last-minute change of plea ahead of going on trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

The charges included sexually touching a one-year-old and encouraging a crazed groupie to abuse her own child during a sordid webcam chat.

Watkins also admitted possessing and making child porn as well as launching the plot to rape a baby. The disgraced rocker was originally charged with actual rape but insisted sex with the child did not take place during a drug-fuelled binge he claims he was on at the time.

Watkins originally faced 24 charges, including two of actual child rape. Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to 11 charges – nine of which were unchanged, and two of attempted baby rape.

Prosecutor Christopher Clee QC told the judge the attempted rape admissions had been accepted partly to spare a jury the ordeal of having to watch sordid video evidence of the crimes.

As sentencing arrangements were discussed in court, a pale faced and grey-haired Watkins began shaking in the dock.

Mr Clee gave details of the singer’s sickening plot to turn babies into sex objects. He said: “Ian Watkins was the lead singer of a successful band called the Lostprophets. He was also a determined and committed paedophile engaged in serious sex offences involving of two babies.”

Mr Clee read a series of text and internet messages between Watkins and two female co-defendants. Watkins and Wom-an A swapped messages where the frontman spoke of his sick desire to “cross the line”.

Watkins sent the woman a message saying he wanted a “summer of filthy child porn” and how he wanted to take things “to the next level”.

Mr Clee also gave details of a sickening 17-minute video involving Watkins and Woman A.

The prosecutor said camcorder footage was shot in a London hotel room which showed Watkins perform a sex act on the child. Computer analysts found the footage uploaded to an online storage facility.

Mr Clee said that following this meeting, the pair exchanged e-mails about how they would not go “easy” on the child next time.

The court heard the frontman claims he has no memory of the key video evidence.

Mr Clee outlined a series of meetings between Watkins and the two female fans, who were the mothers of the baby abuse victims targeted by him.

Watkins also indulged in a depraved virtual sex session in October last year where, using Skype, he got woman B, aged 24, to abuse her baby.

Detectives downloaded the recorded footage, 45 minutes long, in which Watkins talks about how they were going to use the baby for sex.

Mr Clee also told how when police raided the home of Watkins following his arrest in September last year they also found a box of camcorder cassettes.

These proved to hold recordings of filmed sex acts with under-age girl fans, one of whom he met in a New York hotel.

Mr Clee said that one girl, 16, contacted Watkins saying she was a fan and went on to agree to give her virginity to him.

She then flew from Boston to New York and went to a hotel where he was staying, bringing with her a schoolgirl outfit he had asked her to dress in.

He said that Watkins, after being arrested, originally claimed that he was being stalked by a “crazed fan.”

Watkins, who has previously dated the TV presenter Fearne Cotton, will be sentenced on 18 December. When news of him being charged by police broke, his bandmates spoke of their shock. Their website was shut down with a message saying all future tour dates were cancelled.