Lostprophets’ Ian Watkins has been remanded in custody until March on child sex abuse charges including conspiring to rape a child aged under 13. The lead vocalist of Lostprophets has been accused of raping the child while conspiring with a woman fan aged 24.

Ian Watkins has also been slapped with three separate charges of possession, making and distribution of indecent images of children. The Lostprophets singer is also accused of conspiring with two women to sexually abuse a 13-year-old boy. Furthermore, Ian Watkins is charged with possession of ‘extreme pornography’, some even involving animals.

All the three accused appeared in Cardiff court via video link this morning to confirm their names at the preliminary hearing. Dressed in a black suit, black shirt and tie, Ian Watkins spoke only to confirm his name today. Lostprophets’ Ian Watkins applied for bail to a judge in Cardiff Crown Court which was adjourned to another hearing on March 11, until which he would be remanded in custody.

Ian Watkins’ two accomplices, one woman aged 20 from Doncaster and the other aged 24 from Bedford were also remanded in custody slapped with similar sexual charges. Earlier, a court heard that 40 images of children and child abuse was under police investigation.

The Lostprophets’ tainted singer spent Christmas in Parc Prison in Bridgend, South Wales, after being remanded on December 19. A few weeks ago, the Lostprophets’ bandmates expressed shock over Ian Watkins’ arrest. In an earlier court appearance on December 20, Ian Watkins had refuted all the sex abuse charges levied on him.

Prior to Ian Watkins’ being remanded in custody, he was known to have enjoyed a string of flings, the most famous being TV presenter Fearne Cotton, whom he dated for an year in 2005. In 2007, Ian Watkins was linked to model Alexa Chung. Ian Watkins formed Lostprophets in 1997 with friends from the small town of Pontypridd in Wales. Initially, the band started playing gigs around South Wales and went on to eventually sign and release their breakthrough single Shinobi vs Dragon Ninja in 2001.