Courtney Gartshore culpable homicide conviction

In July 2026, an Aberdeen High Court jury found 28-year-old Courtney Gartshore guilty of culpable homicide regarding the September 2023 death of her three-month-old daughter, Dahlia-Rose, in Peterhead. During the trial, prosecutors alleged Gartshore was intoxicated on alcohol and mephedrone when she “culpably and recklessly” exposed the infant to heat via a hairdryer.

On August 14, 2026, Gartshore was sentenced to six years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh. The court established that Gartshore, 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 characterized the case as “uniquely disturbing and distressing,” further describing it as 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 returned a guilty verdict after approximately one hour of deliberation. The court noted that Gartshore had not shown sincere remorse for her actions.