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Man jailed for killing 'amazing' Welsh dad in Prague
Merthyr Express
|May 22, 2025
A MAN has been jailed for seven years after killing an “amazing” Welsh dad in the Czech Republic.
Joel Hoppe, a 27-year-old German, was sentenced earlier this month at a Prague court after being convicted of grievous bodily harm (GBH) resulting in the death of David “Dai” Richards, a 31-year-old father-of-three from Mountain Ash in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Mr Richards was in the centre of Prague for a stag do on September 21 last year when he and his friends came into contact with another group of tourists.
Czech Police spokesman Jan Danek said: “At first, everything was calm and the tourists were chatting normally.
“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.”
Czech news outlet Odkryto reports 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.
This story is from the May 22, 2025 edition of Merthyr Express.
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