Man dies after being hit with bottle in Prague
Dai Richards died in hospital after he was hit over the head with a glass bottle
- Published
A man has died after being hit over the head with a vodka bottle while he was on holiday in the Czech Republic.
Dai Richards, understood to be from Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was on a night out in Prague on Friday.
Police said Mr Richards was hit on the head at about 23:00 local time (22:00 BST) and was taken to hospital where he later died.
Police in Prague said they have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with Mr Richards' death.
His family that Mr Richards had returned from a family holiday on Thursday night before heading to Prague on Friday for the stag do of a close friend.
He had left the house at 05:00 BST, but at about 22:00, his partner received a phone call.
They added: "[It was] from [Mr Richards' friend] Nathan to say that there was an incident that had happened with David and the whole family needed to get a flight as soon as possible as he was critical."
They said that when they arrived they hoped Mr Richards would pull through his injuries. However life-support machines were switched off on Saturday afternoon.
Police said a rift broke out between two groups of tourists in the Národnà tÅ™Ãda area of the city.
A spokesperson said at first they spoke calmly, but added: "There was a rift between them and one of them hit the other on the head with a bottle of vodka."
However, Mr Richards' family have called it a blind attack.
The family paid tribute to Mr Richards by saying he had "the heart of a lion" and 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," they added.
Penrhiwceiber councillor Ross Williams said the community is "devastated".
He said: "It's a very close knit community and there has been an outpouring of support for the family.
"I knew Dai as a youngster who joined the Mountain Ash football team and I always knew him as a very polite and funny kid. He was always the life and soul of the party, it's such a tragic loss."
Also paying tribute, AFC Abercynon said the world had "lost a good man, a father, a son and a brother".
In statement online, it said it was a "loss for all of us, but the grief and sorrow that you as a family must feel are the deepest and most poignant and personal".
A fundraising page has been set up to support the family.
The Foreign Office have said they were supporting Mr Richards' family.