Mother jailed for six years for killing baby daughter with hairdryer heat in Peterhead, Scotland

The incident

On 30 September 2023, Courtney Gartshore, a 28-year-old from Aberdeen, used a hairdryer to subject her three-month-old daughter Dahlia-Rose Gartshore to "significant and sustained heat" on the head and body at an address on King Street in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. The exposure lasted for up to nearly an hour, causing burns across approximately 18% of the infant's body, concentrated on the head, neck, upper trunk and one arm. Emergency services were called to the property but Dahlia-Rose was pronounced dead at the scene. Gartshore had been drinking alcohol while in sole charge of the infant that night, and one source also reported drug consumption.

Investigation and trial

An investigation was launched following the child's death. Forensic examination recovered the baby's DNA from the hairdryer. Gartshore was arrested and charged in November 2023. She had pleaded not guilty and maintained throughout that she had no recollection of using the hairdryer on her baby. Following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen in July 2026, Gartshore was convicted of culpable homicide.

Sentencing

Gartshore was sentenced to six years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday, 14 August 2026. She appeared before the court via video conference from the Scottish prison where she is being held. Judge Simon Collins KC described the case as "uniquely disturbing" and acknowledged that Gartshore had not intended to harm or kill the baby but found her culpable in the "highest degree" of carelessness, adding that it "should have been obvious" that Dahlia-Rose was in "severe distress and pain."

“It is tragic as well as terrible. You will have to live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you were responsible for her death. This was a gross breach of the most basic duty as a parent.”

Defence and personal background

Defence lawyer Murray Macara said he could not provide a reasonable or compelling explanation for why Gartshore used the hairdryer, but speculated that the baby was cold and that she may have attempted to "recklessly" use it as a source of heat. He told the court that Gartshore has a history of childhood trauma, mental health problems, overdoses and self-harm, but argued she had provided appropriate care to her baby up until the night of her death. Since being taken into custody, Gartshore has spent approximately 23 hours a day in her cell for her own safety and protection. She cried and appeared visibly emotional throughout the sentencing hearing.

Cause of death and reactions

Experts determined the most likely cause of death was hyperthermia and heat stroke rather than the burns themselves. Police inspector James Callander described the case as "incredibly disturbing" following the conviction.

“Children are defenceless and must be protected.”