Austrian climber and prosecutors appeal sentence for girlfriend’s death

An alpinist is seen on his way to the cross on the summit of the 'Gross Glockner' mountain, right, on Austrian province of Easttyrol, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson, File)

VIENNA -- A 37-year-old climber and Austrian prosecutors are both launching appeals of his suspended prison sentence and fine for manslaughter over his girlfriend’s death on the country’s highest mountain while he had gone to fetch help.

The couple, identified as Thomas P and Kerstin G, were running far behind schedule as they approached the summit of the Grossglockner mountain on a freezing, windy night in January of last year.

When she was unable to go on out of exhaustion, he left her to fetch help in a shelter on the mountain, but also failed to make clear to the mountain police that they needed help, and did not respond to calls back and instant messages from the police. By the time rescuers arrived hours later, she had died of cold.

A court in the western city of Innsbruck ruled last week that Thomas P should have realized long before they got stuck that his girlfriend would be incapable of completing the climb, adding that as the far more experienced mountaineer he had a duty of care.

The court found him guilty of causing Kerstin G’s death by gross negligence and handed him a suspended five-month prison sentence and a fine of 9,400 euros (US$11,100).

A lawyer for Thomas P has informed the court that he will appeal the conviction and sentence, while the prosecutors’ office has given notice that it will appeal the sentence, the Innsbruck court said in a statement on Monday.

Both sides must formally lodge their appeals in writing within four weeks of receiving the written ruling, which has not yet been sent to them, the court said.

Reporting by Francois MurphyEditing by Alexandra Hudson, Reuters