Peaches Geldof tries to justify identifying mothers of babies abused by Ian Watkins Celebrity has apologised for naming the two mothers of abused babies She said she had assumed the names were already 'public knowledge' Detectives have confirmed they are in talks with prosecutors Court service spokesman confirms names did appear but were removed Watkins, 36, attempted to rape an 11-month-old baby in April last year Peaches Geldof has taken to Twitter again to apologise for tweeting the names of two mothers whose babies were involved in abuse by disgraced rock star Ian Watkins. The daughter of Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof posted a series of tweets this morning explaining she had assumed the names were already 'public knowledge'. Detectives last night confirmed they were investigating reports of what she had done and were in talks with prosecutors. In trouble: Peaches Geldof is facing a police investigation after she tweeted the names of women who helped Ian Watkins abuse their babies Apology: Miss Geldof apologised on Twitter for tweeting the names of the two mothers A court order was made to grant lifelong anonymity to two children whose mothers allowed Watkins to abuse them. The names of the defendants in the case of disgraced rock star Ian Watkins were mistakenly included on the court service's listing site, it confirmed today. Peaches Geldof posted a series of tweets this morning explaining that she had assumed the names were already 'public knowledge' because they had appeared online. An HM Courts & Tribunals Service spokesman said: 'We apologise that the names of the defendants in this case were mistakenly included on our court listing site. The names were quickly removed from the site, and action has been taken to ensure this does not happen again. Victims of sex offences have lifelong anonymity, which bars naming the parents because this would identify the children. Anybody breaching the order could face arrest and prosecution. Miss Geldof said: 'I deleted my tweets, however, and apologise for any offence caused as at the time of tweeting had only seen everyone tweeting the names at me so had assumed as they were also up on news websites and the crown courts public file that they had been released for public knowledge. Will check my facts before tweeting next time. Apologies and lesson learned. The 36-year-old, from Pontypridd, South Wales, plotted the abuse with the two mothers in a series of text and internet messages. Police yesterday underlined the seriousness of the situation. Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Peter Doyle, of South Wales Police, said: 'We are aware that the names of Ian Watkins' co-defendants have been published on social media channels. Peadophile: Ian Watkins is shown, left, in a police mugshot and, right, at the height of his fame Warning: The Attorney General's office has now tweeted to say that tweeting the names could be a criminal offence Facing questions: Peaches Geldof tweeted the names, but they were later deleted The seriousness of the situation has been reinforced by the Attorney General's office, which has warned that sex offence victims have automatic lifetime anonymity and publishing details that can lead to their identification is a criminal offence. A spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office went on to explain that it was aware of the online posting and the fact that it had been deleted. She said: 'Victims of sexual offences have automatic lifetime anonymity and the publication of names or information which can lead to their being identified is a criminal offence. Geldof, 24, has more than 160,000 followers on Twitter, and has worked as a journalist, writing columns for the Daily Telegraph and Elle Girl and articles for the Guardian. But her online error has also attracted scorn from outspoken journalist Janet Street Porter. She tweeted: 'Peaches Geldof calls herself a "journalist" what a joke. Blabs info which could harm innocent victims. Anyone who has been affected by this case can contact South Wales Police on 02920 634184 or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.