Man arrested over toddler death

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A man has been arrested over the death of a toddler killed by a car outside the child's West Yorkshire home.

The 18-month-old boy, named locally as Joshua Bentley, was injured in Lime Tree Square, Saltaire, near Shipley, on Saturday and died later in hospital.

The man, who is believed to be a taxi driver, was being questioned by West Yorkshire Police on Monday.

Neighbours said a taxi had dropped the family off at their home after a shopping trip on Saturday.

West Yorkshire Police have not yet formally identified the dead boy.

They said earlier it was thought the boy was struck by a reversing car as he walked behind it.

Mother's screams

Bunches of flowers were left outside the two-storey terrace house on Monday.

Neighbour Jane Monk, 26, said her seven-year-old daughter Ebony, was playing outside when the accident happened.

She said her daughter came running in and shouted: "Mummy, Mummy, there's a baby, it's hurt itself."

Ms Monk said she heard screaming outside and saw a car speeding off with the mother and baby inside.

The father of the baby came outside and asked where his son was, and Ms Monk and her partner, John Dearnley, 24, offered to drive him to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

She said: "We didn't realise at that point how serious it was... even when we went up to the hospital we thought it would just be a broken leg."

But doctors came out and told the parents, who were waiting with the child's grandparents, that the boy was dead.

Ms Monk said the mother was grief-stricken and screaming.

"It was a scream you don't ever forget," she said.

"She was begging the staff to bring him back. Dad was holding Mum up, saying 'we've lost him, we've lost him'."