Mother guilty over baby's hairdryer burns death

A mother has been found guilty of killing her baby daughter due to heat from a hairdryer.

Courtney Gartshore, 28, denied culpable homicide of three-month-old Dahlia-Rose in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, in September 2023.

The jury took just over an hour to return a guilty verdict on the seventh day of the trial.

Gartshore, who sobbed as she was led from the dock at the High Court in Aberdeen, will be sentenced next month.

She was unanimously found guilty of culpably and recklessly causing Dahlia-Rose to be subjected to heat from the appliance while the child was in her sole care.

The charge stated that Dahlia-Rose's injuries were so severe that she died as a result.

The trial heard Gartshore had consumed alcohol beforehand.

Other charges she had originally faced were dropped by the Crown during the trial.

The court was told that Dahlia-Rose had suffered burns to 18% of the surface area of her body.

It also heard that the infant's DNA was found on a hairdryer.

And the jury was played a recording of a 999 call made by Gartshore in which she said her child had gone "purple" while she was asleep.

However expert witness Dr Timothy Burge, a burns specialist, told the court that it was his view the heat injuries did not cause the baby's death.

"It could have been that she was already dead," he said.

Advocate depute Alan Cameron, prosecuting, described the case as an "awful, heartbreaking event".

In his closing speech, he said that there were only two people in the property, Courtney Gartshore and Dahlia-Rose, and therefore only the accused could have turned it on.

He referred to evidence from witnesses who saw no injuries on Dahlia-Rose's body in the hours before her death.

The advocate depute told the jury that they did not need to answer the question of why the hairdryer was turned on, but pointed to alcohol consumption and intoxication as a possible explanation.

He told the jury that they couldn't be moved by "sympathy or prejudice" and invited them to find Courtney Gartshore guilty of culpable homicide.

Murray Macara, KC, defending, said in his closing speech that the charge stated the injuries were what killed the baby - and suggested the "necessary causal connection" between the hairdryer and the death had not been made.

Judge Simon Collins said it had been a "disturbing" case.

He deferred sentence to the High Court in Edinburgh on 14 August, and remanded Gartshore in custody.

The judge thanked the jury, and told them counselling services are available if needed.

Speaking after the conviction, Det Insp James Callander said: "Children are defenceless and should be protected.

"The death of any child is particularly harrowing, but a child's death at the hands of a parent is incredibly disturbing.

"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."