No end in sight for the trial
Glockner: Marathon trial goes into extra time
Five months' suspended imprisonment and an unconditional fine of €9,600 – this was the non-final verdict in the dramatic Glockner trial for mountaineer Thomas P. (37). He asked for time to consider, the three-day deadline expired on Monday, and now it is certain: the defense is appealing the verdict, as is the public prosecutor's office.
After more than 13 hours, Judge Norbert Hofer announced the verdict last Thursday in the jury courtroom of the Innsbruck Regional Court; the entire trial lasted just under 15 hours. "If you had acted differently, I strongly believe that your partner would have survived," Hofer said in no uncertain terms.
At 10:34 p.m., he found the Salzburg man guilty and sentenced him for grossly negligent homicide – five months' suspended imprisonment and a fine of 9,600 euros. The judge spent about an hour explaining his decision in detail. Defense attorney Kurt Jelinek then asked for time to consider, while prosecutor Johann Frischmann made no comment.
The reasons for the appeal
The deadline expired at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, by which time all parties had to have made a decision – which they did. As Jelinek confirmed to the "Krone" on Tuesday morning, the defense had filed an "appeal on grounds of nullity, sentence, and guilt." The 37-year-old mountaineer is thus exhausting all possible legal remedies.
In short, nullity refers to legal errors, sentence refers to the severity of the punishment, and guilt refers to the determination of gross negligence or negligence in general.
The judiciary follows suit
The Innsbruck public prosecutor's office also filed an appeal in good time on the grounds of nullity, guilt, and punishment. A few hours later, however, this was modified. "This means that the public prosecutor's office has now only lodged an appeal on the grounds of the sentence," explains Klaus Jennewein from the media office of the Innsbruck Regional Court. This means that the verdict handed down last Thursday is not (yet) legally binding.
The Innsbruck Higher Regional Court now has the ball in its court
"The verdict must now be issued in writing by the single judge and delivered to the parties. They must then submit their appeal in writing within a period of four weeks," explains Klaus Jennewein from the media office of the Innsbruck Regional Court.
The Innsbruck Higher Regional Court, as the court of appeal, will then make a final decision on the appeals.
The trial lasted until midnight
The tragedy shocked Austria and far beyond: Kerstin G. (33) died tragically of hypothermia on the Großglockner in January 2025. Her boyfriend had to answer charges of grossly negligent homicide at the Innsbruck Regional Court last Thursday.
The verdict made headlines around the world
After more than 13 hours, the marathon trial resulted in a verdict that is not yet final: five months' suspended imprisonment and a fine of €9,600. The trial caused a stir worldwide, with reports of the verdict appearing around the globe – including in the New York Times, BBC News, The Guardian, and The Times of India.
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