A former boss of stripper group Dreamboys has been jailed after trying to kill his wife with an axe. David Richards has been sentenced to 27 years behind bars after he was previously found guilty of attempted murder.
The 42-year-old hid for hours outside Alex Alam's home in Stock, Essex, before ambushing her as she stepped outside with her dogs after it got dark. A judge told Chelmsford Crown Court that Ms Alam, 32, suffered a fractured skull and cuts to her face and scalp.
Prosecutor William Carter said Richards planned his attack, taking an axe, a dry suit and cable ties to the address on April 3 last year, telling the court there was "clearly pre-meditation prior to the night and on the night". On the night, Richards watched from outside for "a number of hours dressed as he was, with the weapon, waiting for (Ms Alam’s friend) Mr Norcross to depart", he said.
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Judge David Turner KC said Richards had “stalked and monitored the home and Ms Alam before that night”. He told Richards: “You knew perfectly well she would come to the yard in darkness to house the dogs. You waited in the shadows, then confronted her.”
He said Richards had “tied her up briefly” during the incident but this was “ineffectual”, and that Richards “dragged her by the hair”. Essex Police said that when Richards stepped out to try and find Ms Alam’s phone, she was able to free herself, lock her doors and call for help.
The judge told Richards: “You tried to break into the house, axe in hand, and were only thwarted when the front door held. You then made off, you sought no medical help or assistance. You left her bleeding and gravely wounded."
The judge praised Ms Alam for “courageously” attending Thursday’s (January 12) sentencing hearing. She wept in court as details of her horrific ordeal were read out.
In her victim impact statement, read by prosecutor Mr Carter, she said her scars "are a constant reminder of what he did to me". She added: “I’ve been utterly betrayed beyond belief by the person I chose to have children with, turning my life upside down.”
Richards, of no fixed address, appeared by video-link from Chelmsford Prison and sobbed through parts of the hearing. He was found guilty following an earlier trial of attempted murder and also convicted of breaching a non-molestation order.
The judge told Richards that the events of April 3 were a “hideous culmination of the breakdown some 18 months earlier of your family relationships”. He said that from the autumn of 2019 there had been reports to police alleging domestic assaults, harassment and stalking among other matters.
He described Richards as being “obsessive” and having a “jealous mindset” and added: “Your dream home, family and lifestyle to which you had aspired had very sadly unravelled and left you depressed, isolated and angry. This crime was planned and prepared for. A hatchet or hatchets were bought, as were a dry suit, boots, gloves and cable ties.”
Allan Goh, mitigating, asked the judge to consider the “highly emotional and stressful circumstances (Richards) found himself in at the relevant period”. He said Richards had a “successful” business and had provided a “not insignificant family home and a not insignificant lifestyle”.
The court heard that Richards had told police he had done “the most stupid thing I had done in my life” and that he was of previous good character. Judge Turner sentenced Richards to 27 years in prison and made a restraining order until further order.
Richards sold Dreamboys four years ago.
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