IAN WATKINS' Former LOSTPROPHETS Bandmates 'Have No Interest' In Speaking To Him Again

Former LOSTPROPHETS guitarists Mike Lewis and Lee Gaze have no desire to ever reconnect with the band's frontman Ian Watkins after the singer was sentenced to 29 years in prison for child-abuse crimes, including the attempted rape of an 11-month-old baby.

Watkins began serving his sentence in December after pleading guilty in November at Cardiff Crown Court in Wales, where Watkins is from. His two co-defendants, women in their 20s who were the mothers of children he abused, were handed prison terms of 14 and 17 years.

Lewis, who has known Watkins since the pair met when they were both five years old at infant school in Pontypridd, told The Sunday Times: "I've thought about it long and hard — and I have no interest in ever speaking to him again.

"I feel incredibly bad for his mother and his whole family, and the stigma they have to endure. But I have no interest in questioning him about it. Never.

"I tried reading the judge's report — I couldn't finish it. I find it utterly unbelievable that he was capable of doing these things. Obviously he did, but I don't understand it."

Gaze, who admitted he was concerned about his one-time friend when Watkins was held in prison and initially maintained his innocence, described the singer as a "weak character" and added: "He's a bit of a coward — not a tough guy by any means.

"To be in prison, where he's going to be the guy from the rock band with those charges, I was worried. But then I reached a point where real resentment set in."

Watkins told his LOSTPROPHETS bandmates that reports of him being found in possession of indecent images of children following his arrest in a 2012 drugs raid were the result of him being set up. "He spent the longest time trying to convince us that somebody was trying to get revenge on him," Gaze said.

"He'd created such a web of people, bouncing these women off each other, that it was perfectly feasible that one of these women hated him so much that she wanted to catch him out."

Lewis also spoke about his reaction when he found out Watkins was charged with child abuse, telling The Sunday Times: "I couldn't believe it. I thought he was a lot of things — a drug addict, a womanizer. But I never, ever believed that of him. My first assumption was that maybe there was a mistake."

Lewis added he had "never" seen Watkins with an underage girl, explaining: "He was very, very secretive with us about the women he was seeing and any kind of relationship he had."

Watkins must serve at least two-thirds of his jail time before being eligible for parole, followed by another six years of probation.

The judge in the case said it broke "new ground" and "plunged into new depths of depravity."

He added that Watkins showed a "complete lack of remorse" and that what the women did in handing over their children to Watkins was "both sickening and incomprehensible."

Watkins' defense attorney said that her client "belatedly realized the gravity of what happened" and was "deeply, deeply sorry." The singer has maintained that he did not remember many of the incidents due to drug abuse.

Watkins admitted to the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 but pleaded not guilty to rape.

He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

The remaining members of LOSTPROPHETS — including keyboardist Jamie Oliver, bassist Stuart Richardson and drummer Luke Johnson — are reportedly working on a new project with singer Geoff Rickly of the punk act THURSDAY.

LOSTPROPHETS released five albums and scored a No. 1 hit in 2004 with "Last Train Home".