VIENNA – Both a 37-year-old Austrian mountaineer and state prosecutors have announced plans to challenge a court’s decision regarding his conviction for manslaughter in connection with his girlfriend’s fatal mountain climbing incident.
The tragic events unfolded in January of last year when the pair, known as Thomas P and Kerstin G, found themselves severely delayed while attempting to reach the peak of Grossglockner mountain during harsh winter conditions with freezing temperatures and strong winds.
After Kerstin G became too tired to continue the ascent, Thomas P made the decision to leave her behind while he sought assistance at a mountain shelter. However, he failed to properly communicate the emergency situation to mountain rescue authorities and ignored their subsequent phone calls and text messages. When rescue teams finally reached her location several hours later, she had already succumbed to the frigid conditions.
Last week, an Innsbruck court determined that Thomas P should have recognized much earlier that his companion lacked the ability to finish the dangerous climb. The judge emphasized that given his significantly greater mountaineering experience, he bore responsibility for her safety.
The court convicted him of causing Kerstin G’s death through severe negligence, resulting in a five-month suspended jail term plus financial penalties totaling 9,400 euros (approximately $11,100).
According to a Monday statement from the Innsbruck court, Thomas P’s legal representative has notified officials of plans to contest both the guilty verdict and the punishment, while the prosecutor’s office has indicated it will challenge the sentence as well.
The court noted that both parties have a four-week window to submit their formal written appeals once they receive the complete court decision, which has not yet been distributed.
