Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was charged with a number of child sex offenses in December 2012, resulting in one of the most disturbing rock stories ever. Nearly six months after first being taken into police custody, Watkins has finally issued a personal public statement about the charges, maintaining his innocence in reaction to the heinous allegations brought against him.

On Dec. 19, 2012, news broke that Watkins was arrested in the U.K. on charges of sexually touching young children, possession and distribution of indecent images of children, possession of 'extreme animal pornography' and conspiracy to rape a one-year-old child. It has since been revealed that Watkins has also been charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a separate infant, who is only a few months apart in age to the aforementioned one-year-old. Watkins has been denied bail.

The charges relating to the indecent images of children reportedly go all the way back to 2007, and according to WalesOnline, Watkins pleaded "not guilty" to 23 child sex charges and one beastiality charge that were read out by a female clerk in a Cardiff court this morning (June 3).

Watkins released the following statement thanking all those who have supported him following the charges brought upon the singer:

I want to thank my family, friends and all the fans for the continued support throughout this whole ordeal. Your support gives my strength. I deny all the allegations made against me and I will continue to fight to clear my name.

Watkins' trial is expected to take place at the end of the year and will likely take three or four weeks to render a decision by the jury. Two women who were arrested along with Watkins have also pleaded not guilty to charges against them. Stay tuned for all coverage on Ian Watkins' child sex proceedings.

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