'I befriended woman who gave own baby to Ian Watkins - the truth made me sick'
A mother has revealed she befriended Woman B, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to rape a child, as well as three sexual assault charges and four charges of taking, possessing or distributing indecent images
A mother has opened up on her horror at discovering her female friend was actually an accomplice of paedophile Ian Watkins. The Lostprophets singer was killed earlier this month in prison while serving 29 years behind bars for a string of child sex offences.
His vile slew of child sex offences, included the attempted rape of a baby and attempted sexual assault of a child under the age of 13. Watkins trial heard he had used his fame to manipulate and control others, often under the influence of hard drugs, including crystal meth.
Bethany Jones, not her real name, has now revealed she became friends with one of Watkins' accomplices in 2021 and even invited her to her son's birthday party. They met at a probation facility where Bethany was on an 18-month rehabilitation order for drugs charges.
READ MORE: Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins died from stab to neck in jail attack on paedoREAD MORE: 'I toured with Ian Watkins and won't ever forget weird backstage interaction'The woman, known as 'Woman B' during her trial in 2013, had served seven years and told Bethany she had been jailed for assaulting a former partner. Bethany admitted she never doubted the woman's story and watched as she played with her son and 10 of his friends at the birthday party.
It wasn't until late last year that Bethany discovered the shocking truth about her friend. She said the woman was "one of the nicest people she'd ever met" but in reality she had given her own baby to Watkins to sexually abuse and rape.
Woman B failed a DBS check when applying for a job, with word getting back to Bethany. She had been sentenced to 17 years for conspiring to rape a child, three sexual assault charges and four charges of taking, possessing or distributing indecent images.
The paedophile was freed at the automatic release point of her sentence in June 2021. She is now back behind bars. Woman B's licence was revoked and she was recalled to custody for lying about her relationships and concern about 'other behaviour.'
Bethany claimed it related to the daughter of a new partner, who she was living with despite her sentencing conditions. "Nobody had a clue," she told Daily Mail.
"When I found out last year who she was, I felt sick." Bethany said when Watkins died "everything froze" and "all the feelings have come back up". "At the time I would have had no problems asking [Woman B] to babysit my son. I never did, thank God," she said.
Two vile fans who offered their own children up to be abused by the former rockstar were sentenced as co-defendants. Prosecuting barrister Chris Clee QC told the court at the time: "Both women sexually abused their own children and made them available to Watkins for him to abuse."
Both women, referred to only as Woman A and Woman B, pleaded guilty, saving jurors, in the words of Mr Justice Royce, from having to "watch extremely graphic and distressing material".
Woman B pleaded guilty to conspiring to rape a child, as well as three sexual assault charges and four charges of taking, possessing or distributing indecent images. During sentencing, Mr Justice Royce said Woman B did not regard her child as a human being.
If you've been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.