Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
The wife of Ian Watkins' Lostprophets bandmate has broken her silence on how the paedophile's sick crimes affected victims more than a decade after he was jailed.
On 11 October, the disgraced rock star, 48, who was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences, was pronounced dead at HMP Wakefield after allegedly being attacked by two inmates.
Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both of HMP Wakefield, have been charged with murder over the alleged attack.
Advert
Watkins was jailed for 29 years in December 2013, after admitting a string of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.
Syirin Said, who has been married to Lostprophets guitarist Lee Gaze for 17 years, spoke out against people's comments about the band on social media.
In a video shared on her TikTok page, the former singer of Malaysian girl group M'Steen spoke of how the band's songs were banned from TV and radio as 'friends and connections vanished overnight', adding: "Do you know how much that hurt us?"
She continued: "I taught my kids to know what's good, what's bad, and always to hold on to the good - like the music that their dad created that touched many hearts.
"One man's wrong doesn't bury decades of real hard work."
Gaze co-founded the band alongside Watkins in 1997 in Pontypridd, South Wales, with the band releasing five studio albums and selling millions of records worldwide.
"I can't believe I'm saying and posting this. It's been over a decade and I haven't said a word until now," she said.
"But seeing Lostprophets posts by people with zero context, zero empathy - not to the victims, the band members, their families, including mine - makes me speak up.
"I am not speaking on behalf of my husband or the band members. I am speaking on behalf of me, my family, my kids, and our truths.
"For decades my husband poured his heart and soul into writing epic songs, loved by their fans. His band touched so many lives positively when you think about Last Train Home, Rooftop, Burn Burn."
She went on to say that their house no longer played any of Lostprophets' music and 'during that time, the pain when saying the name Lostprophets felt like a curse that we couldn't even whisper'.
She also reiterated that the band were unaware of Watkins' crimes.
"Our family had to rebuild from nothing, no support. These posts with no heart, no mention of the victims still healing or families like ours still hurting, trying to get by, it's like we're invisible again. This isn't a trend. It's our life," Said continued.
She thanked those who'd responded to them with 'care and compassion', adding: "But if you're posting just for likes, views, engagement with zero thought for the lives broken, please step back. Be kind. And perhaps I don't know, acknowledge that others hurt too.
"And if you were hurt by this in any capacity, I hope you're finding ways to heal, like we are."
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.
Anish Vij