Dad-of-four killed on Prague stag do in 'blind attack' with a vodka bottle

Daily Mirror

17-05-2025

Welsh dad David 'Dai' Richards died while he attended a stag do in Prague last year - a German man was sentenced for grievous bodily harm (GBH) in a Czech court this week
A family is mourning the death of a dad-of-three after he was killed on a stag do. A man has now been sentenced following his conviction for grievous bodily harm (GBH) following the dead of Welshman David 'Dai' Richards in Prague in September last year.
"At first, everything was calm and the tourists were chatting normally,' said Czech Police spokesman Jan Daněk of the incident that occurred when Mr Richards and his friends came into contact with another group of tourists. Then there was a rift between them and one of them hit the other in the head with a vodka bottle. The blow was so strong that the injured person immediately fell to the ground and unfortunately died in hospital."
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A post-mortem examination by a doctor in Prague gave a provisional cause of death as brain trauma, swelling, and haemorrhaging. Pontypridd coroner Patricia Morgan opened an inquest last October and adjourned it for a "full investigation" to take place, WalesOnline reported.
Mr Richards was partner to Jola Simms and father to Aurora, aged four, Bear, two, and one-year-old Vienna. His family described him as an "absolutely amazing father, partner, son, brother, and friend" who was the "glue of the family".
In a statement last September, his sister-in-law Tammy Sheehan, cousin Gemma Thomas, and partner Miss Simms said: "It wasn't a fight like what I think some people are thinking – it was a blind attack.
"From the attack he actually passed away from blunt force trauma. David was talking to locals in the street when he took a blow to the back of the head."
Joel Hoppe, a 27-year-old German, was sentenced to seven years behind bars and was ordered to pay 4.7 million crowns (£158,758) to Mr Richards' family and banned him from the Czech Republic for 10 years. Hoppe pleaded guilty to the fatal GBH and disorderly conduct, admitting he acted in a fit of rage and under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
The German reportedly told the court: 'Not a day goes by that I don't think about the late David and his children. I will accept whatever sentence you give me.'
He also mentioned Mr Richards' relatives, who attended the hearing. "It breaks my heart to see these people here today,' he said.
Judge Daniella Sarah Sotolářová imposed a sentence of seven years after taking into account Hoppe's remorse and his otherwise orderly life. "We also believed that you did not want to cause the death of the victim," she said.