Woman kills her baby with a hairdryer
Discussion
Sounds like the sort of 'mother' that social services should've been all over
The Atricle said:
Gartshore had a history of childhood trauma, mental health problems, overdoses and self-harm
As an adoptive parent to two children who were removed from an unfit mother it saddens me that this little one didn't get saved before the worst happened.As a parent of three I sometimes empathise when those parents who are pushed to the limits through stress or excessive tiredness snap and do something terrible in the moment, and naturally assumed that she had struck the baby with a hairdryer or some other similar scenario, but no. This would have taken a long time, certainly enough for any 'normal' person to realise exactly what they were doing. Very sad 
Sad for the baby, and sad for the mother who was clearly someone in need of help.
Sad for the baby, and sad for the mother who was clearly someone in need of help.WH16 said:
As a parent of three I sometimes empathise when those parents who are pushed to the limits through stress or excessive tiredness snap and do something terrible in the moment, and naturally assumed that she had struck the baby with a hairdryer or some other similar scenario, but no. This would have taken a long time, certainly enough for any 'normal' person to realise exactly what they were doing. Very sad Sad for the baby, and sad for the mother who was clearly someone in need of help.
Up to an hour apparently. She was drunk though... Sad for the baby, and sad for the mother who was clearly someone in need of help.butchstewie said:
I don't know Scottish law but how on earth is that sort of depraved behaviour the equivalent of manslaughter? 
It's worthwhile reading the judges sentencing remarks:https://judiciary.scot/home/sentences-judgments/se...
A few paragraphs from it:
Simon Collins KC said:
"In determining sentence, the first thing to emphasise is that it was no part of the Crown case that the accused intended to harm still less kill Dahlia Rose. This was not a case of culpable homicide resulting from an assault, still less a murder case. It was a case of culpable homicide resulting from a high degree of carelessness or gross recklessness. In principle this is a less serious offence, calling for a less severe sentence.
Against this background the first question is as to the level of the accused s culpability. Two points can be made.
In the first place, although the accused s care of Dahlia Rose throughout the night of her death was poor at best, and in the end criminally reckless or negligent, this is not a case where the death was the culmination of repeated instances of parental neglect or abuse over weeks or months. Rather it appears to have been a gross aberration from an otherwise mostly - satisfactory standard of care. There was social work involvement with the accused s elder child, but not Dahlia Rose."
It's a fairly horrific case, but not quite as black and white as could be inferred from the BBC report. IMHO, of course, and I do have experience of Scots law...Against this background the first question is as to the level of the accused s culpability. Two points can be made.
In the first place, although the accused s care of Dahlia Rose throughout the night of her death was poor at best, and in the end criminally reckless or negligent, this is not a case where the death was the culmination of repeated instances of parental neglect or abuse over weeks or months. Rather it appears to have been a gross aberration from an otherwise mostly - satisfactory standard of care. There was social work involvement with the accused s elder child, but not Dahlia Rose."
I'm not being "internet tough guy" here but how the hell does an emergency responder who comes across this scene not just punch her into next week ?
They either have way more self control than me in cases like this or its one of those thing where it takes some time to sink in and there are a lot of other people there with you sorting this horror out too so you do just deal with it.
Either way id sterilise the b
h as a minimum.
They either have way more self control than me in cases like this or its one of those thing where it takes some time to sink in and there are a lot of other people there with you sorting this horror out too so you do just deal with it.
Either way id sterilise the b
h as a minimum.matchmaker said:
butchstewie said:
I don't know Scottish law but how on earth is that sort of depraved behaviour the equivalent of manslaughter?
It's worthwhile reading the judges sentencing remarks:https://judiciary.scot/home/sentences-judgments/se...
A few paragraphs from it:
Simon Collins KC said:
"In determining sentence, the first thing to emphasise is that it was no part of the Crown case that the accused intended to harm still less kill Dahlia Rose. This was not a case of culpable homicide resulting from an assault, still less a murder case. It was a case of culpable homicide resulting from a high degree of carelessness or gross recklessness. In principle this is a less serious offence, calling for a less severe sentence.
Against this background the first question is as to the level of the accused s culpability. Two points can be made.
In the first place, although the accused s care of Dahlia Rose throughout the night of her death was poor at best, and in the end criminally reckless or negligent, this is not a case where the death was the culmination of repeated instances of parental neglect or abuse over weeks or months. Rather it appears to have been a gross aberration from an otherwise mostly - satisfactory standard of care. There was social work involvement with the accused s elder child, but not Dahlia Rose."
It's a fairly horrific case, but not quite as black and white as could be inferred from the BBC report. IMHO, of course, and I do have experience of Scots law...Against this background the first question is as to the level of the accused s culpability. Two points can be made.
In the first place, although the accused s care of Dahlia Rose throughout the night of her death was poor at best, and in the end criminally reckless or negligent, this is not a case where the death was the culmination of repeated instances of parental neglect or abuse over weeks or months. Rather it appears to have been a gross aberration from an otherwise mostly - satisfactory standard of care. There was social work involvement with the accused s elder child, but not Dahlia Rose."
It appears the prosecution could not prove with the available evidence that she intentionally used the hairdryer on the child as opposed to possibly falling asleep with it left on and blowing towards the child.
Somewhat similar to how deaths in a house fire started by drunkenly falling asleep with a cigarette or pan of chips on the hob would not be considered murder.
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