After being previously charged, an Austrian court has convicted this 37-year-old amateur mountaineer of manslaughter after he left his girlfriend near the summit of Grossglockner, Austria's highest peak, to seek help when she became too exhausted to continue. The court in Innsbruck handed Thomas P a five-month suspended prison sentence and a €9,400 fine for gross negligence in connection with the January 2025 death of 33-year-old Kerstin G.
The couple had fallen far behind schedule during a winter ascent and were about 50 metres below the summit in freezing, windy conditions when the woman could no longer proceed. Prosecutors said Thomas P left her without wrapping her in an emergency blanket or bivouac bag, though the equipment was in her rucksack, and descended alone to seek assistance.
A brief phone call to mountain police did not trigger a rescue operation, as authorities said he did not clearly indicate they were in danger and failed to respond to follow-up calls and messages. Webcam footage later showed him descending the mountain with a head torch in stormy conditions during the early hours of 19 January.
Judge Norbert Hofer, an experienced mountaineer, said the defendant should have recognised earlier that his partner would not be able to complete the climb and bore responsibility for her safety. While acknowledging that he had gone to get help and was not "cold-hearted", the judge ruled that his actions amounted to gross negligence...