Police search for tour guide over tourist's croc death

A tour guide in Australia accused of causing the death of a German tourist killed by a crocodile has failed to appear in court for his arraignment.

Authorities issued another court summons for 46-year-old Glenn Bernard Robless to appear at Darwin Magistrates Court.

Police have said he was drunk when Isabel von Jordan was killed by a crocodile while swimming with a tour group at a water hole in a national park in Australia’s Northern Territory province.

Officers claim he caused Jordan’s death “through a dangerous act”, a crime less serious than manslaughter which carries a maximum 14 years in jail.

Von Jordan’s sister later told German officials the tour guide had said the spot was safe for swimming. Robless has taken tourists into the Kakadu National Park for the past 13 years.

When he failed to appear in court Friday, Magistrate David Loadman ordered a new summons.

Crown Prosecutor Glenn Dooley said police had not been able to serve the earlier summons.

Von Jordan, a 25-year-old student from Tutzing, outside Munich, was among nine European tourists taking a late-night dip in a water hole sign-posted with warnings about crocodiles.

Von Jordan’s sister, Valerie, said the tourists had asked about the crocodile warning signs around the water hole. But Robless said it contained only freshwater crocodiles, which are not considered dangerous.

Von Jordan’s body was retrieved from the jaws of a 13ft saltwater crocodile. Rangers found another eight saltwater crocodiles in the water hole.