THE girlfriend of a Scots tourist who was found dead in Prague has revealed her heartache.
Joop Sparkes, 29, was enjoying a holiday with friends in the Czech Republic capital when he went missing in the early hours of April 28.
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The roofer, from Galashiels, Scottish Borders, jumped from a party boat into the Vltava river, sparking a frantic search operation.
Joop’s sister Jodie Wilson, 46, aunt Gillian Bunyan, girlfriend Charley Maben, 24, and her mum Jill flew out to Prague the following day to help look for him.
But on Sunday, a week on from his disappearance, Czech authorities recovered a man’s body from the waterway, close to the Stefanikov bridge.
Following formal identification, it was confirmed that it was the tragic holidaymaker.
His loved ones have been left heartbroken over his passing.
Joop and Charley, who had been a couple for six-and-a-half years, had planned to jet off to New Zealand together later this year.
“Joop is very loved and we will miss him always. We had our whole life planned ahead of us and we were hoping to get to New Zealand in August. It was Joop’s dream”, she told STV News.
“I am heartbroken but the support from everyone has been amazing. We are all so grateful.”
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A GoFundMe page had been set up to help support his family’s search efforts and raised more than £16,000.
Ms Wilson has said that they money will now go towards repatriating his body to Scotland and giving him the “send off he deserves”.
She also offered her heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated.
Taking to social media, Ms Wilson added: “We really do appreciate all the donations and the fundraising that everyone has been doing and we will be forever grateful.
“Joop really did have the best people in his life who have all come together and showed just how much they cared.”
A Police of the Czech Republic spokesperson said: “On Sunday evening, the Prague police went out to report the discovery of a body in the Vltava river, near the Štefánikov bridge.
“The police pulled the young man’s body out of the water, identified it, and at the moment we can confirm that it was a 29-year-old foreigner who was missing after jumping from a party boat into the water a week ago, saying he was going for a swim.
“Unfortunately, the missing person drowned in the water and no third party fault was found.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Czech Republic and are in contact with the local authorities.”
