Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins abused after being mistaken for Lostprophets singer

Steps singer Ian 'H' Watkins has received abuse online after being mistaken for the Lostprophets musician of the same name who has pleaded guilty to a string of child sex offences.

He has thanked his fans for their support following the mix-up.

One website also used an image of H to illustrate an article on the Lostprophets frontman, who appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday.

It was later taken down after H's management intervened, but in a message on his website, the singer he was yet to receive an apology from the entertainment website in question.

The message from H read: "Thank you to everyone who has supported me today! My management took swift action to remove my image which was posted due to shoddy journalism."

The pop star's official Facebook page also referred to abuse wrongly directed at H after Tuesday's court case.

Explaining the situation, the message read: "Just to clear out some of the abuse there has been the past few hours... This is the 'Official Ian H Watkins' website. Better known as H from Steps.

"H is in NO WAY related with the news about the singer from Lostprophets! Please don't post any comments about the news here because they will be deleted. Thank you!"

Lostprophets singer Watkins, 36, from Pontypridd, South Wales, will be sentenced in Cardiff on December 18 for his crimes, which include the attempted rape of a baby.

 

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.