Scottish Mother Jailed for Six Years After Three-Month-Old Daughter Dies Following Hairdryer Incident

A Scottish woman, Courtney Gartshore, 28, has been sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of culpable homicide in the death of her three-month-old daughter, Dahlia-Rose Gartshore. The case arose from events at the family home in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, on September 30, 2023. The High Court heard that the infant was exposed to significant and sustained heat from a hairdryer while in her mother’s sole care. Gartshore denied the charge, but a jury found her guilty in July 2026. She has since lodged an intimation of appeal against both her conviction and sentence.

What the court established

In its sentencing statement, the court said that Gartshore had consumed a significant amount of alcohol while socialising the night before Dahlia-Rose died. She returned home at about 4 a.m., with the baby still in her care. At some point between approximately 4 a.m. and 9 a.m., the child was subjected to prolonged heat from a hairdryer. The appliance was later found plugged in beside the bed.

The baby suffered severe burns affecting around 18 percent of her body, including her head, face, neck, upper body and right arm. The judge described the injuries as severe and disfiguring. Expert evidence indicated that the burns themselves were survivable, while the Crown’s expert considered hyperthermia and heatstroke the likely cause of death. The defence expert proposed that Dahlia-Rose might already have died from another sudden and unexplained cause before the heat was applied. The jury rejected that position and concluded that the hairdryer’s heat caused her death.

The court did not establish exactly why the hairdryer was used, precisely when it was turned on, or every detail of how the incident unfolded. The sentencing judge said Gartshore had not explained what happened, either during the trial or to the criminal justice social worker. Those unknowns remain important: reporting should not present speculation about her motive as established fact.

Circumstances before the emergency call

Evidence described a difficult night and concerning conditions in the home. Dahlia-Rose’s cot was being used for storage, and she routinely slept in her mother’s bed despite warnings about the risks of co-sleeping. A neighbour also described encountering Gartshore outside earlier that morning with the baby in a pram. The neighbour said the infant felt extremely cold and that she advised Gartshore to cover her with a blanket.

Emergency services were eventually called. Paramedics arrived and found the baby dead. The trial included evidence about the infant’s injuries and the hairdryer, with material containing Dahlia-Rose’s DNA reportedly found on its nozzle. The investigation led to Gartshore’s arrest and charge in November 2023.

Why the conviction was culpable homicide

The legal distinction mattered at sentencing. Gartshore was not convicted of murder. The judge said it was not the Crown’s case that she intended to hurt or kill her daughter, and described the offence as culpable homicide resulting from gross recklessness or carelessness. In Scots law, culpable homicide is broadly comparable to manslaughter, although the precise legal definitions differ between jurisdictions.

The judge said a parent has a basic duty to protect a child, and that Dahlia-Rose’s very young age made her entirely dependent on her mother. The court found that the exposure to heat must have continued for a substantial period—possibly 20 minutes or as long as an hour—and that Gartshore’s actions, or failure to stop them, continued while the baby was suffering. The judge assessed her culpability as medium, while treating the death of an infant as harm at the highest level.

The six-year sentence

On August 14, 2026, Judge Simon Collins KC sentenced Gartshore to six years’ imprisonment at the High Court in Edinburgh. The sentence was backdated to July 16, when she was first taken into custody. The judge said the circumstances were uniquely disturbing and distressing, while also describing the case as tragic.

Several aggravating factors were identified: Dahlia-Rose’s vulnerability and complete dependence on her mother; Gartshore’s consumption of alcohol while responsible for the baby; and conduct after the incident that the judge considered an attempt to conceal her involvement. The judge also said Gartshore had not fully accepted her guilt and that genuine remorse had not been demonstrated.

The court considered mitigating circumstances as well. Gartshore had no other convictions. She was a young, single mother with limited support, responsibility for an older child, and a history of poor mental health. The court heard that she had stopped medication during pregnancy and had attempted suicide after Dahlia-Rose’s death. The judge stressed that these circumstances did not excuse her actions, but said they were relevant to sentencing.

Appeal and what happens next

At the end of August, court officials confirmed that an intimation of appeal had been lodged on Gartshore’s behalf, challenging both the conviction and the sentence. This is the start of an appeal process; it does not itself overturn the jury’s verdict or the prison term. Any further outcome will depend on the legal arguments and the decisions of the appeal court.

The case has drawn attention to the vulnerability of infants and the responsibilities of adults caring for them. Police Scotland Detective Inspector James Callander said children are defenceless and should be protected, describing a child’s death at the hands of a parent as particularly disturbing. His comments reflected the impact of the investigation on those involved, while the court process established Gartshore’s criminal responsibility.

A tragedy with unanswered details

Dahlia-Rose was only three months old when she died. The court record sets out the circumstances that supported the conviction, but it also makes clear that some questions—especially why the hairdryer was used and the precise sequence of events—were never answered in evidence. It is therefore important not to fill those gaps with assumptions or sensational claims.

The sentence reflects the court’s assessment of the offence, the harm caused, and the aggravating and mitigating circumstances. The pending appeal means the legal process may continue. For now, the conviction is for culpable homicide, not murder, and the six-year term is the sentence imposed by the High Court.

The public record provides a sobering account of how dangerous prolonged, uncontrolled heat can be around a baby, and why infants require safe sleeping arrangements and attentive care. Those broader lessons should be discussed without overstating the evidence or turning an individual case into an unsupported generalisation.

As the appeal proceeds, further developments should be reported from court records and reliable news coverage. Until then, the established facts remain: Dahlia-Rose died in September 2023; a jury convicted her mother in July 2026; and Gartshore was sentenced to six years in August. The appeal process may examine the conviction and sentence, but no result should be assumed before a court rules.