Courtney Gartshore Convicted in 3-Month-Old Daughter's Hairdryer Burns Death
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 16
Courtney Gartshore Convicted in 3-Month-Old Daughter's Hairdryer Burns Death
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 16
Summary
A Scottish jury took just over an hour to convict 28-year-old Courtney Gartshore of culpable homicide over the 2023 death of her three-month-old daughter, Dahlia-Rose.
Prosecutors said Gartshore recklessly subjected the baby to heat from a hairdryer while the child was in her sole care in Peterhead, causing burns over 18% of her body that proved fatal.
DNA from Dahlia-Rose was found on a hairdryer, and jurors heard Gartshore's 999 call saying the baby had gone "purple" while she was asleep; prosecutors also pointed to alleged prior alcohol consumption.
A burns specialist told the court the heat injuries might not themselves have caused death, but the Crown argued only Gartshore could have switched on the appliance because only mother and child were in the property.
Gartshore, who denied the charge and sobbed as she was led away, is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on 14 August.