Rescuers refuse hoaxer's donation

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Rescuers have declined a £2,000 donation from a climber who stamped the word "help" in snow on a mountainside.

The letters on Slioch in Wester Ross were large enough to be seen by people five miles away in Kinlochewe, who contacted the emergency services.

Paul Manchester, 47, from Stalybridge, Cheshire, was later fined £600 after admitting a breach of the peace.

Torridon and Kinlochewe Mountain Rescue Team said his donation should go to the Highland Hospice instead.

Dingwall Sheriff Court heard that Manchester stamped out the word in deep snow after climbing to the summit of the Munro with a group of friends.

It could have been a massive waste of resources Neil HinchliffTorridon and Kinlochewe Mountain Rescue Team leader

The action led to the rescue team and Stornoway Coastguard's search and rescue helicopter being called out.

The helicopter turned back before reaching the scene after Torridon team members established that it was not an emergency.

However, the court heard the call-out cost £5,000 in terms of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency crew being scrambled and £500 to the mountain rescue team.

Manchester's solicitor Craig Wood said the incident "weighed heavily" with his client, who has apologised for his actions.

Mr Wood said Manchester had not attempted to perpetrate a hoax and there was no criminal intent.

Neil Hinchliff, Torridon MRT leader, told the BBC Scotland news website that the team could not justify accepting the offer of £2,000 for the work it had done on behalf of the local police force, Northern Constabulary.

Instead, it has been agreed with Manchester's solicitor that the money be donated to the Highland Hospice.

The hospice is the only service of its kind in the Highlands offering care to adults with incurable diseases.

It provides a 10-bed in-patient unit in Inverness and a day hospice on the same site.

Last month, the organisation said it expected to lose half of the £658,832 it had invested with a failed bank.

This followed a Treasury decision not to compensate charities - including the Highland Hospice - for funds lost in the collapse of Icelandic banks.

'Search dogs'

Mr Hinchliff said Manchester's actions could have led to a massive, three-day search.

He said: "Fortunately, as we were looking up at the message in the snow we could see half a dozen or so climbers descending the mountain so our first mission was to intercept them.

"When we reached them they said they knew about the message and one admitted to making it."

But the team leader added: "At the time we were notified by Northern Constabulary we had about two hours of daylight left.

"If we had not seen those climbers we would have searched through the night with Sarda search dogs.

"On day two, we would have brought in a neighbouring team to help out and perhaps stepped up the search on day three.

"It could have been a massive waste of resources."