A 28-year-old woman has been sentenced to six years in prison in Scotland after being found guilty over the death of her three-month-old daughter. The baby had been left exposed to the high heat of a hairdryer for an extended period.
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The incident occurred in September 2023 at a home in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. Although emergency services arrived at the address, baby Dalia-Rose had died.
Courtney Gartsor was convicted of culpable homicide following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen last July.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that the baby had suffered severe burns to around 18% of her body, including her head.
During the sentencing hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, Judge Simon Collins described the case as “extremely shocking and distressing,” as well as “tragic and horrific.”
Gartsor attended the hearing via video link and broke down in tears during the proceedings, repeatedly wiping them away.
The judge said the 28-year-old would have to live for the rest of her life with the knowledge that she was responsible for her daughter’s death.
Her defence lawyer, Murray Macara, said Gartsor had no memory of using the hairdryer. He said there was no “logical or convincing” explanation for how the appliance had been used, while one possibility was that the mother had been trying to warm the baby because she may have been cold.
Because of the severity of the injuries, jurors were not shown photographs of Dalia-Rose’s burns.
The court was also told that Gartsor had consumed alcohol before the incident.
A recording of her call to the emergency services was played in court. She had told operators that the child had turned “purple” and that she herself had been asleep.
Investigators found traces of the baby’s DNA on the hairdryer.
However, burns expert Dr. Timothy Burge testified that, in his assessment, the heat-related injuries had not caused the baby’s death. He said Dalia-Rose “may already have been dead.”
The defence had also argued that the baby may have died before suffering the burns.
After just over an hour of deliberations, the jury reached a unanimous verdict and found Gartsor guilty.
According to the verdict, while Dalia-Rose was entirely in her care, the 28-year-old had culpably and recklessly exposed the baby to the heat from the appliance.
Following the sentencing, Inspector James Callander said the case had left a profound impact on everyone involved in the investigation.
“Children are vulnerable and must be protected. The death of any child is particularly distressing, but the death of a child at the hands of a parent is extremely shocking,” he said.
Callander added that the authorities had a duty to establish the circumstances of Dalia-Rose’s death and ensure that the person responsible was brought to justice.
