A 13-week-old baby who was allegedly killed with a hairdryer died from heatstroke after being exposed to intense heat for several minutes, a murder trial has heard. The High Court in Aberdeen was told that Dahlia-Rose Gartshore likely died within minutes of prolonged exposure to hot air, with a burns expert describing the infant’s injuries as consistent with the use of a hairdryer. Courtney Gartshore, 28, is accused of murdering her daughter at her flat in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, in September 2023. She denies the charge. Giving evidence, burns surgeon Mr Niall Martin told jurors the baby died from heatstroke, rather than the burns themselves. “A healthy child does not die spontaneously. A healthy child does not die without a cause,” he told the court. “The burn itself does not necessarily cause death. It’s the heat that does that.” Mr Martin said Dahlia-Rose would likely have become critically ill within 10 to 15 minutes of exposure to temperatures of around 40°C to 45°C. He added that the evidence suggested the infant had been exposed to heat for significantly longer. “It’s been heated long enough that the surface water has evaporated. The skin has shrivelled and desiccated,” he said. Jurors also heard evidence that the baby may have remained exposed to the hairdryer even after she had died while lying on her mother’s bed. Earlier in the trial, experts described Dahlia-Rose as appearing to have been “roasted in a fire“, with forensic evidence indicating her injuries were consistent with a Tresemmé hairdryer recovered from Gartshore’s bedroom. During proceedings, prosecutors formally dropped several charges against Gartshore. Judge Simon Collins told the defendant: “The Crown is no longer seeking conviction in relation to charges 1, 2, 3 and 4. All that remains is the single most serious charge.” The abandoned allegations included claims that Gartshore had neglected her children, kept them in unsanitary living conditions and possessed cocaine and M-CAT. The court has previously heard Gartshore had allegedly been drinking with friends and remained out until around 4am on the night in question while accompanied by the baby. The murder charge remains before the court. As criminal proceedings are ongoing, Courtney Gartshore denies the allegation of murder and is entitled to the presumption of innocence. The trial continues before Judge Collins.
