A mother has been convicted of causing the death of her three-month-old daughter by exposing her to heat from a hairdryer. Courtney Gartshore, aged 28, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of culpable homicide of her daughter Dahlia-Rose, who was under her care in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, in September 2023.
The jury deliberated for slightly over an hour before reaching a guilty verdict on the seventh day of the trial at the High Court in Aberdeen. Gartshore wept as she was escorted from the courtroom to the cells, according to reports from the BBC.
She was found guilty of deliberately and recklessly subjecting Dahlia-Rose to heat from the hairdryer while the child was solely in her care. The prosecution stated that the baby sustained such severe injuries that ultimately led to her death.
Gartshore is scheduled to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on August 14.
During the trial, jurors were informed that Dahlia-Rose suffered burns on 18% of her body, and traces of her DNA were discovered on the hairdryer. A recording of the emergency call made by Gartshore, in which she reported her child turning “purple” while sleeping, was played in court.
Despite claims that Gartshore had been drinking before the incident, other charges against her were dropped by the prosecution.
The authorities were alerted to the situation on September 30, 2023, by the Scottish Ambulance Service after Dahlia-Rose was pronounced dead at the location in Peterhead. An investigation was initiated into the child’s death, leading to Gartshore’s arrest and charging in November 2023.
Detective Inspector James Callander expressed the profound impact of a child’s death at the hands of a parent, emphasizing the importance of protecting vulnerable children. He commended the collaborative efforts in the investigation and thanked those who contributed information essential to the case.
