- A 37-year-old man identified as Thomas P is accused of failing to protect his girlfriend’s life during a hike on the mountain
- Kerstin G, froze to death below the summit of the Grossglockner after she became exhausted and could no longer continue
- The court ruled that Thomas did not do enough to save the 33-year-old woman, which exposed her to fierce winds and led to her death
On a freezing night high on Austria’s tallest peak, a decision made in desperation would cost a young woman her life and leave her partner carrying the weight of a court’s judgment.
Source: UGC
Thomas P was handed a suspended sentence after his girlfriend, 33-year-old Kerstin G, froze to death just 50 metres below the summit of the Grossglockner.
Night that turned fatal
BBC News reports that the couple had set out together to conquer the mountain in January, but what began as a shared adventure ended in tragedy.
The court heard that after a long day’s climb, the pair had fallen significantly behind schedule. As darkness and plunging temperatures set in, Kerstin became exhausted and could no longer continue.
Despite carrying an emergency blanket and bivouac bag, Thomas left her exposed to fierce winds without wrapping her for protection. The equipment remained in her rucksack.
The 37-year-old later told the court he could not fully explain why he failed to use it, describing the moment as “particularly stressful”.
Thomas failed to take leadership
He descended alone to seek help at a mountain shelter, but a brief call to mountain police did not trigger a rescue operation.
Officers said he had not made clear that the couple required urgent assistance. When they attempted to call him back and sent WhatsApp messages to clarify the situation, he did not respond.
Thomas told the court his phone had been on aeroplane mode to conserve battery power. By the time help arrived, Kerstin had succumbed to the cold.
Delivering the verdict, Judge Norbert Hofer, himself an experienced mountaineer, said Thomas had gravely misjudged the situation.
“The defendant failed to take his leadership responsibility,” the judge ruled, adding that Kerstin’s mountaineering knowledge was “galaxies” behind that of her partner.
In a one-day trial at Innsbruck state court, Thomas received a five-month sentence and a fine of 9,600 euros. The court withheld his full name in accordance with Austrian privacy laws.
He had pleaded not guilty, with Judge Hofer emphasising that he did not believe Thomas had acted with malice.
“I don’t see you as a murderer, I don’t see you as a cold-hearted man,” he said. “I see you as the one who ultimately tried to call help and stand by his girlfriend.”
Yet the court concluded that the tragedy was avoidable. Kerstin would “almost certainly” have survived, the judge said, had appropriate measures been taken, such as turning back earlier or making a clearer emergency call.
According to the People, the sentence handed down was far below the maximum three-year prison term available under Austrian law.
Source: UGC
A pattern raised in court
During proceedings, prosecutors called an ex-girlfriend of Thomas as a witness who testified that during a previous climb in 2023, he had left her alone at night following a dispute over the route, as her headlamp battery ran flat.
The judge said the earlier episode underlined concerns about Thomas’s judgement and sense of responsibility on the mountain.
Thomas maintained that all decisions during the fatal climb had been made jointly. He argued that he had no formal Alpine training and that Kerstin’s knowledge was not far short of his own.
He said she had appeared in good condition when a police helicopter flew overhead earlier in the ascent and that her rapid deterioration had taken him by surprise.
He told the court he had descended for help only after consulting her, adding that he was “endlessly sorry”.
Memories of Cheruiyot Kirui
The case brings back memories of Kenyan thrillseeker Cheruiyot Kirui whose adventurous sojourn to the summit point of Mount Everest ended tragically on Thursday, May 23.
It all started on May 17 when the mountaineer put himself on a trial of ascending the world’s highest mountain without supplemental oxygen.
The banker working for KCB was reported missing after reaching 8,000 meters above the mountain, only for his lifeless body to be discovered days later.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
