Charlotte Gallagher

The woman was wearing the wrong shoes.

They were not well equipped.

They started their tour too late.

They did not turn around when they had the chance.

And finally, when his girlfriend was completely exhausted, the defendant left her alone on the mountain.

He tried to seek for help alone.

Finally, when the police, the Alpine police, found his girlfriend, she was dead from freezing.

This is the main question.

Is she responsible for her own death or is he responsible for her fate as well?

They had no contract.

Like you could pay somebody to be your leader in a tour and he would be obliged by civil law to look after you and prevent you from harm.

They did this as a couple, as friends would do something together.

It's the open question now whether two adults have to intervene

in order to prevent the partner in a dangerous or risky event or expedition from any harm.

Not just dealing in mountaineering together, but in any other dangerous situation, diving or whatever.

So obviously he was more experienced, so that counts for something.

If he was less experienced, there would be no charge.

Probably not.

But I could not exclude that there would be charges going in the same direction as well.

But since he was apparently more experienced than she, the public prosecution seems to derive some sort of authority from that experience that he had.