SYDNEY (AFP) — An Australian man who was rescued unconscious from a cave after being trapped for two days in freezing conditions was Tuesday charged by police with entering the area without permission.
Geoff McDonnell, 47, was exploring Wombeyan Caves southwest of Sydney alone on May 16 when he entered a cave to take photographs and became stuck in rocks up to his waist by a sudden land slip.
Fellow cavers reported him missing the next day, sparking a 200-person search and rescue response to find the diabetic explorer.
McDonnell, who spent more than 48 hours shouting for help and attempting to dig his way out, was eventually rescued late on May 18.
Paramedics at the scene said he became unconscious as rescuers struggled for most of the day and into the evening to free him from the unstable rock.
Police said they have charged the experienced caver under the National Parks and Wildlife Act with entering or remaining in a cave without authority, risking the safety of any person in a national park and entering a closed part of a park.
Inspector Doug Pilkington said in most cases people who entered a national park without permission would be fined but that this instance was serious enough to warrant charges.
"It was an isolated cave, well away from the main tracks," he said.
"There was always the potential for it to go seriously wrong and he took those risks regardless, so it was not appropriate to just issue him with some small infringement notices.
"It was much more appropriate to put him before a court."
Speaking to the media while being treated in hospital last month, McDonnell said he expected to be charged over the ordeal.
"What I did was foolish and I shouldn't have done that and I won't be doing that again," he said.
"I'm just glad to be alive, it's unreal to be able to stand up and move around a little bit after being in such a confined space for a couple of days."
McDonnell is due to appear in court on July 23.
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