Courtney Gartshore jailed for six years in fatal baby death case

Courtney Gartshore, 28, has been sentenced to six years in prison for the culpable homicide of her three-month-old daughter, Dahlia-Rose. The sentencing took place at the High Court in Edinburgh following a trial in Aberdeen.

The incident occurred on September 30, 2023, in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. Prosecutors established that Gartshore, who had been consuming alcohol while solely responsible for the infant, subjected the child to significant and sustained heat from a hairdryer for as long as an hour. The infant suffered burns to approximately 18 per cent of her body, including her head, and died from a combination of heat stroke and hypothermia.

Judge Simon Collins KC described the case as ‘uniquely disturbing’ and a ‘gross breach of the most basic duty as a parent.’ While the defense argued the child may have died before the burns occurred, the jury delivered a guilty verdict after just over an hour of deliberation. The court noted that Gartshore had not shown sincere remorse for her actions.