A mother has received a six-year prison term for the culpable homicide of her infant daughter after subjecting the child to fatal burns using a hairdryer.
Courtney Gartshore, 28, inflicted significant and sustained heat injuries upon three-month-old Dahlia-Rose at their home in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, on September 30, 2023.
Emergency services attended the property on King Street, but the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gartshore received her sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh today following her conviction at a trial held in Aberdeen during July.
The trial heard the mother had consumed alcohol whilst solely responsible for the care of Dahlia-Rose.
The hairdryer was aimed at the infant for a period lasting as long as an hour, resulting in severe thermal injuries.
The burns covered 18 per cent of the girl’s body surface area, including her head.
She succumbed to a combination of heat stroke and hypothermia at the scene.
The prosecution successfully demonstrated Gartshore had exposed her daughter to significant and sustained thermal assault from the appliance whilst intoxicated.
Presiding over the sentencing, Judge Simon Collins KC characterised the matter as “uniquely disturbing” in its nature.
He determined Gartshore’s conduct represented a gross breach of the most basic duty as a parent.
During the proceedings in Aberdeen, the defence had contended that Dahlia-Rose might have already been deceased before sustaining the burn injuries.
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The jury rejected this argument, deliberating for just over an hour before delivering a guilty verdict.
Jurors were spared from viewing photographic evidence of the injuries sustained by the child during the trial.
Gartshore had denied the charge of culpable homicide throughout the proceedings.
Police Scotland received notification of the death from the Scottish Ambulance Service, prompting the launch of an investigation into the circumstances.
Gartshore was subsequently taken into custody and formally charged two months later, in November 2023.
Detective Inspector James Callander previously 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.”
The accused maintained her innocence when the case proceeded to trial in Aberdeen, entering a not guilty plea to the culpable homicide charge.
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