Ex-Dreamboys boss who tried to kill his wife dies in prison
The former boss of the stripper group Dreamboys, who was in prison for trying to murder his wife with an ax, has died in prison.
David Richards, 42, was sentenced to 27 years in prison in January after he assaulted 32-year-old Alex Alam after their relationship collapsed.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for HMP Lowdham Grange, Nottinghamshire said: “We can confirm that a prisoner died at HMP Lowdham Grange on March 13.
“The next of kin have been informed and our thoughts are with the family. As with all deaths in custody, there will be an investigation by the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and as such we are unable to comment further at this time.”
Richards waited for hours with an axe, a dry suit and zip ties to ambush Ms Alam when she stepped outside her home in Stock, Essex, with her dogs on April 3, 2022.
She suffered a fractured skull and cuts to her face and scalp in the ensuing “bloodbath,” Judge David Turner KC told Chelmsford Crown Court.
Your dream home, family and lifestyle you aspired to were very sadly unraveled leaving you depressed, isolated and angry
Richards, who was found guilty of attempted murder, sobbed at sentencing when the judge told him the attack was “the hideous culmination of the breakdown in your family ties some 18 months earlier”.
He was described in court as “obsessed” and “jealous.”
The judge added, “Your dream home, family and lifestyle you aspired to have unraveled very sadly, leaving you depressed, isolated and angry.”
In her victim impact testimony, read in court, Ms Alam said: “I have been completely and unbelievably betrayed by the person I have chosen to have children with and my life has been turned upside down.
“The scars are a constant reminder of what he did to me.”
Richards had planned the attempted blow in advance, having bought boots, gloves and a hatchet, and waited in the shade to trap Ms Alam alone, having tracked and monitored her home in advance.
He attacked her in the dark while children were in the house, tied her up and pulled her hair.
Essex Police said when Richards got out to find Ms Alam’s phone she was able to break free, lock her doors and call for help.
Richards had a “successful” business with a “non-negligible family home and a non-negligible lifestyle,” the court said.
According to Companies House, he became the director of the male striptease group Dreamboys in 2014.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/chelmsford-crown-court-nottinghamshire-essex-essex-police-b1067302.html Ex-Dreamboys boss who tried to kill his wife dies in prison
