Mother jailed for killing baby by burning her with a hairdryer

A mother who killed her baby daughter by burning her with a hairdryer has been sentenced to six years in prison. Courtney Gartshore, 28, was convicted of culpable homicide after subjecting three-month-old Dahlia-Rose to "significant and sustained heat" from the appliance in September 2023. The child died from severe burns covering 18% of her body. During her trial, Gartshore's defense suggested the baby might have already been dead before the burns occurred, but a jury found her guilty after deliberating for just over an hour. The judge, Simon Collins KC, called the case "uniquely disturbing and distressing" and "tragic as well as terrible." Gartshore, who had consumed alcohol before the incident, will live with the knowledge of her responsibility for her daughter's death. Defense counsel Murray Macara KC stated Gartshore had no recollection of using the hairdryer and could not offer a reason for its use, speculating it might have been to warm the baby. Police Scotland Detective Inspector James Callander emphasized the vulnerability of children and the disturbing nature of a parent causing a child's death, noting the investigation deeply affected all involved.

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Children are defenceless and should be protected.