A mother who killed her three-month-old daughter by exposing her to sustained heat from a hairdryer has been sentenced to six years in prison.
Courtney Gartshore, 28, used the appliance on Dahlia-Rose Gartshore’s head and body while the baby was in her sole care at a property on King Street in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, on September 30, 2023.
Dahlia-Rose suffered severe burns covering 18% of the surface of her body, including her head.
Gartshore was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday after being unanimously convicted of culpable homicide following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen in July.
Emergency services were called to the Peterhead property on the day of Dahlia-Rose’s death, but the three-month-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
The trial heard that Gartshore had consumed alcohol before the incident while she was solely responsible for her daughter.
Jurors were played a recording of Gartshore’s 999 call in which she said her daughter had gone “purple” while she was asleep.
Police subsequently launched an investigation and Gartshore, from Aberdeen, was arrested and charged in November 2023.
The court heard that Dahlia-Rose’s DNA was found on a hairdryer.
Gartshore was unanimously found guilty of culpably and recklessly causing Dahlia-Rose to be subjected to significant and sustained heat from the appliance while the child was in her sole care.
The charge stated that the injuries inflicted on Dahlia-Rose were so severe that she died as a result.
The precise medical evidence surrounding the baby’s death was contested during the trial.
Gartshore’s defence argued that Dahlia-Rose may already have been dead before suffering the burn injuries.
Dr Timothy Burge, a burns specialist who appeared as an expert witness, told the court that, in his opinion, the heat injuries did not cause the baby’s death and said it was possible she had already died.
The jury, which was spared from seeing photographs of Dahlia-Rose’s injuries, deliberated for just over an hour before unanimously finding Gartshore guilty.
Appearing by videolink for sentencing, Gartshore sobbed and wiped away tears during the 25-minute hearing.
Her defence counsel, Murray Macara KC, told the court Gartshore had no recollection of using the hairdryer and that he could provide no “reasonable or compelling reason” for its use.
He said he could only speculate that the baby may have been cold and that the hairdryer was used in an attempt to provide warmth.
Judge Simon Collins KC sentenced Gartshore to six years in prison, describing the circumstances as “uniquely disturbing and distressing” and “tragic as well as terrible”.
He told Gartshore she would have to live for the rest of her life knowing that she was responsible for her daughter’s death.
Following Gartshore’s conviction, Detective Inspector James Callander described the case as “incredibly disturbing”.
“Children are defenceless and should be protected,” he said.
“The death of any child is particularly harrowing, but a child’s death at the hands of a parent is incredibly disturbing.”
Callander said those involved in the investigation had been deeply affected by the circumstances of Dahlia-Rose’s death and thanked officers, partner agencies and members of the local community who assisted the inquiry.
“Everyone involved in this investigation was deeply affected by the circumstances of Dahlia-Rose’s death, but our job is to uncover the truth and ensure that the person responsible is brought to justice,” he said.