A mother accused of killing her three-month-old baby by exposing her to heat from a hairdryer broke down during a frantic 999 call, telling an emergency operator the infant had gone “purple” while she slept. A jury at the High Court in Aberdeen heard the distressing recording on the second day of Courtney Gartshore’s trial.
In the call, the 27-year-old said baby Dahlia-Rose’s skin and fingers had changed colour without her noticing after she woke up in the early hours of September 30, 2023. Prosecutors allege she “culpably and recklessly” caused Dahlia-Rose to be exposed to heat from a hairdryer while the infant was in her care at a property in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
Prosecution claims and 999 call
The Crown alleges that the baby’s injuries were so severe that she died as a result. Gartshore also faces allegations that she consumed alcohol and took the Class B drug mephedrone while she was the baby’s sole carer. Gartshore denies a charge of culpable homicide along with a number of other offences.
According to the BBC, a distressed Gartshore can be heard in the recording as the call handler asks whether Dahlia-Rose is breathing. She replied: “No, she’s dead.” She then told the operator: “I’ve literally just woken up and her head is all purple and, I just don’t know, I need help.”
Gartshore explained that she and her daughter would normally sleep through the night together near the end of the call. She said: “I feel so bad because I’ve been sleeping and she’s obviously been like this for hours before she’s like this.”
Neighbour’s evidence
Earlier in the trial, jurors heard evidence from neighbour Leanne Thomson. She told the court that Dahlia-Rose’s face had felt “frozen” when she touched the baby just hours before the emergency call. Thomson said Gartshore had been “shouting” after returning to her King Street home following a night out drinking with friends.
The witness told the court that she and another neighbour, who she had been drinking with, went outside to speak to Gartshore. Dahlia-Rose was sitting in her pram and, after touching the baby’s face and finding it cold, Thomson said she told Gartshore her daughter “needed a blanket”.
Additional charges
Gartshore, of Aberdeen, also faces a separate charge of wilfully neglecting Dahlia-Rose on September 29 and 30, 2023. The indictment alleges she drank alcohol to excess, “co-slept” with the baby while intoxicated and possessed controlled drugs. It is further claimed the property was in an unsanitary condition, with soiled nappies and spoiled food and drink scattered around the home.
A further charge alleges Gartshore was in possession of mephedrone and cocaine. The trial continues.
