Scottish mother sentenced to six years for infant's death

A 28-year-old mother, Courtney Gartshore, has been sentenced to six years in prison by the High Court in Edinburgh following the death of her three-month-old daughter, Dahlia-Rose. In September 2023, emergency services were called to a home in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, where the infant was discovered deceased. The mother was found guilty of culpable homicide—the Scottish equivalent of manslaughter—during a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen last July.

Evidence presented during the proceedings revealed that the mother had subjected her daughter to prolonged exposure to intense heat by using a hair dryer on the infant's head and body. This caused severe and disfiguring burns. Judge Simon Collins KC described the case as "uniquely chilling" and deeply distressing, noting the tragic nature of the child's suffering. During the 25-minute sentencing hearing, which the defendant attended via video link, the judge emphasized that she would have to live with the knowledge of her responsibility for her daughter's death for the rest of her life.