David ‘Dai’ Richards died on a stag do in Prague as harrowing new CCTV footage shows the moment he was fatally attacked in what his family described as a ‘blind attack’
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Prague: CCTV captures moment before tourist dies after being hit
Shocking new CCTV footage shows the moment a young British dad was killed with a vodka bottle on a stag do.
David ‘Dai’ Richards was struck once on the back of his head with a vodka bottle in what his family say was a ‘blind attack’. The 31-year-old father-of-three from Wales was on a trip with friends in Prague when he was fatally wounded, and died in hospital last Saturday. His heartbroken family described him in tributes as an “absolutely amazing father, partner, son, brother, and friend”. He leaves behind his partner Jola Simms and their three children, Aurora, four, Bear, two, and one-year-old Vienna.
In new footage released by local police, a group of men can be seen approaching David and his friends on the street of Národní Avenue. There appears to be a heated verbal exchange before the altercation suddenly turns violent. Punches are thrown and a man can be seen striking David in the head with an object. He then falls to the ground in the footage, which the Mirror has decided not to include.
Describing the moment David’s family received a terrifying phone call telling them what had happened, sister-in-law Tammy Sheehan, cousin Gemma Thomas, and partner Miss Simms said: “He left the house at 5am and it was by 10pm that night our time Gemma and Jola had a phone call from [Mr Richards’ friend] Nathan to say there was an incident and the whole family needed to get a flight as soon as possible as he was critical.”
The family said life-support machines were switched off on Saturday, September 21. The family shared: “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.” The family said a French passer-by gave first aid at the scene.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident. In a statement, Czech police said the incident began when “two groups of tourists who were in Prague for the weekend” met and “talked normally” before an altercation started. “The blow was so strong that the victim immediately fell to the ground and unfortunately died in the hospital”, the force said. Detectives are then said to have acted quickly as it was “clear to them” that the assailants were tourists, and would likely leave Prague soon.
The statement added: “An extensive search was launched and after several hours they managed to track down the suspect and arrest him in front of the hotel in Prague, where he was staying. The 26-year-old man is now being prosecuted for the crimes of grievous bodily harm and disorderly conduct, where, if convicted, he faces up to sixteen years in prison because death was caused as a result.”
Some members of Mr Richards’ family have stayed in Prague while they wait for the death certificate, and have described their interactions with Czech authorities as “abrupt” and “blunt”. They wrote on a GoFundMe page: “We would describe David as having the heart of a lion. “He was an extremely family-orientated person. He was the fun one – he always brought the energy. We described him as the glue to the family. He was an absolutely amazing father, partner, son, brother, and friend. There isn’t a bad word to be said about him.”
