“SHE WANTS HER FREEDOM” — MOTHER WHO WAS CONVICTED AFTER BABY DAUGHTER DIED FROM HAIRDRYER HEAT LAUNCHES BID TO OVERTURN CONVICTION

SCOTLAND — A Scottish mother sentenced to six years in prison after her three-month-old daughter died following prolonged exposure to heat from a hairdryer has launched a legal bid to overturn both her conviction and sentence.

Courtney Gartshore, 28, was convicted of culpable homicide following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen and was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on August 14.

Now, court officials have confirmed that an intimation of appeal against both conviction and sentence has been lodged on her behalf, formally beginning the appeal process.

The move means the case is heading back into the legal spotlight — only weeks after a judge described the circumstances as “uniquely disturbing.”

A TRAGIC NIGHT IN PETERHEAD

The case dates back to September 30, 2023, when emergency services were called to a property on King Street in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

Dahlia-Rose Gartshore, just three months old, was found critically injured and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The court heard that Gartshore had been drinking while she was solely responsible for her daughter.

Evidence presented during the trial established that the infant had been exposed to significant and sustained heat from a hairdryer.

The resulting injuries affected around 18% of the baby’s body, including her head, neck, upper body and arm. The court heard that the likely cause of death was hyperthermia and heat stroke.

“I HAVE NO MEMORY”

One of the central issues throughout the case was Gartshore’s account of what happened.

She denied culpable homicide and maintained that she had no recollection of using the hairdryer on her daughter.

Her defence suggested that she may have been attempting, recklessly, to warm the baby if she believed the infant was cold.

However, the jury ultimately found her guilty.

At sentencing, Judge Simon Collins KC said Gartshore’s actions represented a gross breach of the most basic parental duty.

He also concluded that her level of carelessness was at the highest degree and said the baby’s distress should have been apparent.

NOW SHE IS FIGHTING THE VERDICT

Gartshore’s legal team has now formally begun the process of challenging the outcome.

The appeal covers both her conviction and her six-year prison sentence.

At this stage, the specific grounds of appeal have not been publicly set out in full, and there has been no ruling that would overturn the conviction.

Her legal team must now progress the appeal within the Scottish court system.

According to reports, the deadline for filing the detailed appeal papers is October 20, 2026.

A CASE THAT HAS ALREADY SPARKED CONTROVERSY

The original case generated significant public attention beyond the courtroom.

Gartshore had been allowed to travel to Turkey while on bail awaiting trial, a decision that later drew criticism from Scottish political figures.

The controversy intensified after reports emerged about photographs from the trip.

But those issues are separate from the legal question now before the appeal court: whether Gartshore’s conviction and/or sentence should stand.

For now, the conviction remains in force.

The appeal is only beginning.

And while Gartshore is seeking to overturn the verdict and reduce or remove the consequences of her sentence, the case continues to leave one unavoidable fact at its center:

Dahlia-Rose was only three months old.

The little girl died in September 2023.

Nearly three years later, her mother’s conviction has entered a new legal chapter — one that could determine whether the original verdict and six-year sentence remain in place.