UK: Three detectives face the sack after police ignored warnings over paedophile rock singer Ian Watkins for FIVE years

A detective could be sacked for allowing rock star Ian Wakins to rape and abuse children for five years after they ignored repeated warnings he was a paedophile.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has slammed South Wales Police because they failed to properly probe the Lostprophets singer, 38.

Watkins was jailed for 29 years in 2013 for child abuse but his ex-girlfriend Joanna Mjadzelics, 41, had first called Welsh social services about him in 2008.

In 2011 she emailed South Wales chief constable Peter Vaughan to say Watkins was raping children but detectives failed to act.

Later she was accused of possessing indecent images of a child, sending vile pictures to the singer and demanding that he send her illegal pornography. She was cleared in 2015.

In January 2009 Ms Mjadzelics first contacted police about Watkins after he tells her about sex sessions with underage girls, rape and shows her indecent pictures - nothing happens.

In March 2009 she is interviewed by police but she claims the investigation was closed by May after she was dismissed by police as a 'nut.'

In August 2010 she goes to police after Watkins shows her a video of a child being abused - nothing was done.

In May 2011 Mjadzelics sends an email to the Association of Chief Police Officers about Watkins.

In March 2012 she takes her laptop to the police station after becoming concerned about an online chat with the singer.

Ms Mjadzelics said she 'went through hell' after she was forced to take action herself because officers 'couldn't be a***d' to investigate Watkins.

She told The Sun: 'I was ignored by the police on multiple occasions. It is now clear that, had I been listened to, some children would not have come to harm at Watkins' hands.

'The police have a lot to learn about how they treat credible witnesses and victims of abuse.'

Watkins, 38, was convicted sex offences including the attempted rape of a fan's baby. Two women were jailed alongside him for assisting his crimes.

The IPCC has carried out two investigations into how the force responded to reports and intelligence dating back to December 2008 made to South Wales Police (SWP) by either members of the public, Crimestoppers, or other police forces.

The IPCC investigator recommended a detective sergeant has a case to answer for gross misconduct and another for misconduct. It alleged the officer did not take sufficient action - and treated allegations from a main witness as being 'unfounded'.

The IPCC investigator said two detective constables have a case to answer for misconduct, as they did not 'undertake all reasonable and practicable lines of enquiry.'

The officers were all based in Pontypridd, South Wales - the hometown of singer Watkins.

An IPCC spokesman said: 'The IPCC submitted its investigation reports to SWP, and the force has agreed to take forward disciplinary proceedings against the detective sergeant and two detective constables.

IPCC Commissioner for Wales, Jan Williams, said: 'We probed a substantial number of reports and allegations relating to Ian Watkins made over a four year period to establish exactly who knew what and when, and how police officers responded. This has been a complex process.

'We aim to issue our fuller findings, including our examination of the wider organisational response of South Wales Police, following the conclusion of the misconduct proceedings currently being arranged by the force.'

Watkins allegedly told Ms Mjadzelics  of how he would use the children of 'superfans' to fulfill his depraved fantasies.  According to Miss Mjadzelic, he said: 'I've got all these superfans and they're giving me their kids.'

Miss Mjadzelic also recalled how Watkins showed her a video of a child being raped 'because he wanted a reaction', and also how he told her about plans to drug and rape the child of one of his fans. The fan, later known as Woman B, was later jailed alongside Watkins for child sex offences.

She said she was told about Watkins' intentions towards her young son. She said: 'He's told me that he wants to put GHB in his sippy cup and on his dummy and rape him.'

She said she went to the police again, this time in Doncaster, but was ignored. She said: 'I'm telling them [police officers] he's going to rape a baby a month before he does.'

During Ms Mjadzelics' own trial she said she had risked jail to expose Watkins, and continued to sleep with him in order to gather more evidence for the police.

The court heard that she reported Watkins to the authorities in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 to raise the alarm over his child sex crimes. She told police he had sent her images of a 'very young girl being raped', but they refused to examine her phone or computer.

Michael Wolkind QC, defending, told jurors that police chose not to investigate the allegations against Watkins because he was a famous musician.

'Babies could have been saved if Joanne had been taken seriously but Watkins was a famous rock star so it was different,' he said.

'She wasn't believed and it wasn't properly investigated. What was she supposed to do?

'If she had not kept on seeing Watkins would he and the two mothers be locked up now? No. She desperately played along with Watkins to track him.'

Original report here



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