Joanne Mjadzelics: Lostprophets Ian Watkins's ex-lover was 'nuisance' to police

An ex-lover of paedophile singer Ian Watkins was trying to expose his abuse but was viewed as a "nuisance" harassing the rock star by police, a trial has heard.

Joanne Mjadzelics, 39, of Doncaster, denies child abuse image charges.

She has said she only swapped indecent images and had explicit online conversations about child abuse with Watkins in an attempt to trap him.

Her defence said her trial was a mission to cover up police failings.

Cardiff Crown Court has previously heard evidence taken from police interviews with Ms Mjadzelics which described her relationship with Watkins, who was sentenced to 35 years for the attempted rape of a baby and other child sex abuse crimes.

The court was told she had admitted being totally in love with him but claimed she had realised his obsession with child abuse was wrong and had only stayed in contact with him and exchanged images as a means of entrapping him.

They heard how she had attempted on a number of occasions to alert police.

Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins is serving 29 years in prison and will serve six on licence

Jurors also heard details of a sex video from 2008 in which they discussed in graphic and explicit terms abusing, raping and killing very young children.

However giving evidence, Ms Mjadzelics said Watkins had prompted her off-camera about what she should say.

Ms Mjadzelics said she first went to police with concerns in 2009 but was not taken seriously.

'Dirty prosecution'

Defence barrister Michael Wolkind told the jury: "The cover-up continues. This is a dirty prosecution.

"Joanne Mjadzelics' possession of indecent photographs was all part of her mission to catch Ian Watkins.

"This trial is a mission to cover up the failings of the police."

"The police failed to protect babies from Watkins and mothers who donated their babies to him. To police, Joanne Mjadzelics became a nuisance who had been harassing that nice Mr Watkins."

Mr Wolkind read out a letter from Watkins' solicitors which the defendant had described as a gagging order after she claimed she had threatened to go to police in 2008.

He said it was because Watkins was desperate to to stop her from exposing him.

He told the jury babies could have been saved if his client had been taken seriously, but Watkins "was a famous rock star".

Mr Wolkind claimed police ignored her because she had worked as a prostitute and they believed she had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, even though that was not the case.

"She did pretty well in the face of incompetence from the police. If she had not kept on seeing Watkins would he and the two women be locked up now?

"She had a perfectly legitimate reason for having those indecent images.

"She desperately played along with Watkins in order to expose him," he said.

"Let's see if a jury cares if the police got it wrong for years," he added.

Ms Mjadzelics denies four charges of possessing indecent images of children, two charges of distributing images and a charge of encouraging and assisting the distribution of an indecent image of a child.

The trial has been adjourned until Wednesday.