Ian Watkins may earn £100,000 in Lostprophets royalties while in prison

The disgraced rock star may continue to make money behind bars

Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins could make a fortune while serving a sentence for child sex offences (Getty Images)

Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins could continue to make thousands of pounds in royalties despite facing a prison sentence for paedophilia.

Watkins, 36 from Pontypridd, is due to be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court in South Wales on Wednesday after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted rape of a baby, conspiracy to rape another baby, sexual assault of a one-year-old and possessing and making child abuse videos.

But the rock star could earn an estimated £100,000 for his past work while spending time behind bars, and might potentially benefit from a spike in internet searches after renewed publicity from his notorious trial.

Music lawyer Craig Brookes told Wales on Sunday: “The biggest income stream will almost certainly be publishing which, even if radio play has stopped, will still be pretty big.

“They will say ‘This is how much music is in the market place so it is likely you are due this amount’. He will also get a publishing cut for any play Lostprophets have anywhere.”

Watkins’ case has gained a heavy amount of media attention since his arrest last year, with fans continuing to search for music and video footage on streaming sites such as YouTube.

“The records could be earning a substantial amount. It could easily have translated to 100,000 or 200,000 extra sales,” Brookes added.

“It could be over £100,000 easily. It could be less but there will be another spike when he gets sentenced, in terms of money generated – because of clips when the story breaks, then there will be a spike in online activity.

“And there are going to be Performing Right Society (PRS) payments because the music is out there.”

However, it is thought the estimated figures for what Ian Watkins could earn might have been over-stated, as Lostprophets' record sales will not benefit from any radio or television play.

The PRS declined to respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

It is not unusual for depraved artists to continue receiving royalties while serving sentences for crimes.

In 2012, convicted sex offender Gary Glitter was paid thousands of pounds after the BBC aired archived footage of the musician performing on Top of the Pops in 1977.

Watkins’ sentence is due on Wednesday alongside those of two female fans who plotted sex abuse against their babies in a series of text and internet messages with the musician.