Pearl Black killed after Range Rover brakes failed

A toddler died after a parked Range Rover's brakes failed and it hit a garden wall which fell on top of her, an inquest has been told.

One-year-old Pearl Melody Black and her eight-month-old brother were taken to hospital after the incident on Sunday.

Coroner's officer Gareth Heatley said the vehicle was left unlocked on the driveway in Merthyr Tydfil but the handbrake was applied.

Pearl's family said she was "as bright as the stars".

Mr Heatley told the Aberdare inquest: "It appears that an unattended Range Rover has rolled off the driveway in Beechwood Drive.

"The vehicle was left insecure, with the automatic transmission in park with the handbrake fully applied.

"It gained momentum down the drive where it went across the road and mounted the footpath opposite and hit the wall.

"The boundary wall collapsed, tragically it collapsed on to Pearl, causing crush injuries I am told."

Pearl was taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr where she was pronounced dead.

Her brother was also injured in the incident, which happened half a mile from their home while visiting grandparents with their father, former The Voice contestant Paul Black.

Mr Heatley said the cause of death could not be ascertained and adjourned the inquest to October.

Mr Black and his wife Gemma said: "Pearl was every single star in every single sky, she was as bright as the stars, when she looked at you with those eyes and she would melt your heart.

"She was the greatest dancer and she has left a massive hole in our hearts, the world will be a darker place without her. She was the reason we all lived."

A spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover said it would co-operate fully with the investigation.