Climbers charged after sparking mountain rescue mission

Two climbers have been charged after allegedly making a 60-mile trip to climb a munro – before sparking a rescue mission.

A 27-year-old man and 23-year-old woman have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with “culpable and reckless conduct” following the incident on Beinn A’ Chroin, near Crianlarich, on Saturday.

Police received a report of two climbers in difficulty on the munro in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park around 2.40pm and officers and members of Killin Mountain Rescue Team were sent out to rescue them.

The pair, from Glasgow, were later traced safe and well.

Chief inspector Gill Marshall said: “The actions of this man and woman and their lack of equipment not only placed themselves at risk of injury, but also the officers and mountain rescue volunteers who were called to assist them.

“The regulations remain that people should only leave the house for very limited purposes, for example for basic necessities, for exercise or recreation, for medical needs or travelling for work which cannot be done from home.

‘The actions of this man and woman and their lack of equipment not only placed themselves at risk of injury, but also the officers and mountain rescue volunteers who were called to assist them.’
Chief inspector Gill Marshall

“We recognise that people have made significant sacrifices until now and while the temptation may be to head straight for one of our beauty spots, we would ask people to use their judgement and avoid going to places which are normally busy during the good weather or, in this case, could put individuals’ lives at risk.

“We want people to enjoy our outdoor spaces safely and exercise should be done locally, not exceeding five miles from your home.

“The chief constable has made it clear that we are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to protect the NHS and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading.”

Damon Powell, chair of Scottish Mountain Rescue, said: “Scottish Mountain Rescue and the mountain rescue teams it represents have been humbled by the support they have received from the overwhelming majority of the hill going public and would like to thank them again for sticking with the current restrictions.

“We look forward to welcoming them back to the hills once the guidance enables people to do so safely.

“We are also aware how deeply frustrating it is when everyone who is making such sacrifices see people openly flouting the guidance. We are pleased to see the police taking action against such individuals.”

*Article image copyright Andrew Smith and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.