A toddler was killed outside his home when the family car reversed over him after apparently being started by his three-year-old brother.

Iain Goodwill, aged 18 months, was crushed beneath the wheels of the Saab estate in the driveway of his home in the Scottish Highlands.

Reports suggested that his mother, a local music teacher, may have been inside the house with another of her children at the time, and had unwittingly left the key in the ignition.

In a statement read by a police officer, Helen and Mark Goodwill said: “Words can’t describe the grief and pain that we are all feeling.

“Iain was such a happy little boy who loved everything. Iain loved playing in the sand and with his brothers. He was absolutely delightful.”

The accident happened at about 4.45pm on Wednesday on the outskirts of Kiltarlity, a small village 12 miles from Inverness. A neighbour, who is a surgeon at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, tried to resuscitate the toddler, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Police refused to comment on reports that the toddler’s brother, Douglas, was behind the wheel.

Neighbours said that Mrs Goodwill, who gives private music lessons in the Inverness area and is a founder member of the Highland Chamber Orchestra, had been outside playing with her three children but then went indoors with her six-year-old son.

After hearing the car start up, she rushed outside to find the three-year-old behind the wheel. She could not at first see Iain, but then spotted his legs underneath the vehicle. Her husband is believed to have been working in Inverness when the accident occurred.

Chief Inspector Ian Cox, of Northern Constabulary, said that officers would have to interview the dead boy’s brothers.

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