Mother Jailed Six Years for Killing Baby Daughter With Hairdryer Heat

Courtney Gartshore, 28, was jailed for six years on August 14, 2026, for killing her three-month-old daughter, Dahlia-Rose Gartshore, with heat from a hairdryer.

Gartshore used the appliance to subject Dahlia-Rose to and sustained heat at an address in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, in September 2023. Dahlia-Rose suffered burns to approximately 18% of her body surface, particularly to her head, neck, upper body, and one arm. A paramedic thought the baby's body was decomposing due to the severity of the injuries, and experts stated they had never encountered a similar case.

Sentencing her at the High Court in Edinburgh, Judge Simon Collins KC ruled that Gartshore did not intend to harm or kill her baby but was culpable in the highest degree of carelessness. Judge Collins stated it should have been obvious that Dahlia-Rose was in severe distress and pain, and that Gartshore would have to live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you were responsible for her death.

Dahlia-Rose's likely cause of death was hyperthermia and heat stroke. Gartshore's defense lawyer, Murray Macara, speculated she may have attempted to recklessly use the hairdryer as a source of heat if the baby was cold. Gartshore had been drinking while in sole charge of the infant. She denied the charges and told family and friends her daughter died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.