Court Convicts Mountaineer for Leaving Girlfriend to Freeze to Death on Austrian Peak

On February 20, the BBC reported on a case involving an Austrian mountaineer who left his girlfriend to die during a climbing trip on Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain. The court found the defendant, identified only as 'Thomas P.', guilty of gross negligence. He was sentenced to 5 months suspended jail time and fined 9,600 euros (approximately 350,000 baht). The victim, 'Kerstin G.', died in extreme weather conditions with temperatures feeling as low as -20 degrees Celsius and wind speeds reaching 74 kilometers per hour. Prosecutors argued that although both were stranded on the mountain, Thomas did not call police or signal for help, despite a police helicopter flying nearby around 10:30 PM. Thomas claimed they were still feeling normal and near the mountain's peak when he did not request assistance. He argued that Kerstin told him to seek help, and he called mountain police at 12:35 AM on January 19. However, rescue teams disputed the nature of the emergency call. Ultimately, Thomas climbed to the summit and descended on the other side, leaving Kerstin behind around 2:00 AM. Rescue teams later found her body hanging from a cliff. The case has sparked debate in Austria and among global climbing communities about the line between personal risk-taking and criminal responsibility.