A man has been jailed for the murder of Steve Nash, the British paraglider pilot who was killed while on a vol-bivouac expedition in Mongolia in August 2016.
The BBC has reported that Gantulga Batsukh was found guilty of murder and given 16 years in jail on Friday.
In a statement issued by the Nash family to the BBC, the family’s lawyer Kieran Mitchell said the loss of Mr Nash “this way far from home has been difficult for them to come to terms with”.
Steve’s partner Shirley said she had lost, “my husband and my best friend”.
She added: “He was a true gentleman who loved life and lived every minute to the full, showing kindness and respect to everyone he met. Nothing will ever bring Steve back but we are relieved that his killer has now been brought to justice.”
Steve, 53, was killed on 31 August 2016 while on a vol-biv adventure, Spiralling the Steppes 2.
He had been travelling with his friend Gareth Aston on a 400km journey through the Mongolian mountains from Uliastai to Tsetserleg. But when Gareth was forced to retire due to an old injury, Steve continued alone.
That same day Steve was robbed and killed. The alarm was raised when his live-tracker did not update and Steve did not check-in with an “OK” message at the end of the day.
A few hours later his body was found, with his passport and money missing.
The killing was greeted with shock in Mongolia, especially among the nomads who populate the steppe. A vigil was held in his honour in the capital city, Ulan Bator.
A man was arrested soon after. He was charged with Steve’s murder, and on Friday 17 November 2017 was sentenced to 16 years in jail.
