German man sentenced to seven years for fatal bottle attack on Welsh tourist in Prague

A 27-year-old German man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for killing a Welsh tourist during a street fight in central Prague last year. He was also ordered to pay CZK 4.7 million Czech (about EUR 195,000) in compensation to the victim’s three children and has been banned from the Czech Republic for 10 years.

The Prague Municipal Court heard that the incident occurred in the early hours of Sept. 24, 2024, on Národní třída, a major street in the Czech capital, when two groups of tourists began arguing. The altercation escalated, and the German defendant struck 43-year-old David Richards in the head with a glass vodka bottle. Richards collapsed and later died in hospital.

The defendant pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, claiming he had acted in a drug- and alcohol-fueled rage, reports iDnes.cz. Presiding Judge Daniella Sarah Sotolářová said the court accepted that he did not intend to kill Richards. His sentence was one year below the legal minimum.

The state prosecutor had sought an eight-year term but allowed a window for appeal. The defendant waived his right to appeal the decision.

Tensions ran high in the courtroom, where members of Richards’ family disrupted proceedings and had to be removed. One relative made a throat-slitting gesture toward the defendant’s friends, prompting the judge to refer the matter to prosecutors for further review.

Richards had been in Prague celebrating a friend’s bachelor party at the time of the incident. His family has been critical of the Czech authorities’ handling of the case and their communication following his death.

“They were rude and unhelpful,” one family member told WalesOnline shortly after the incident. “It just didn’t seem like a nice place to visit.”

The court’s decision marks the end of the criminal trial, though questions remain over the conduct of courtroom observers and the broader response from local officials.