Husband held over holiday death

A Bolton man has been arrested in the Dominican Republic after his wife died when she fell from a hotel balcony.

Robert and Sharon Leyland were in Punta Cana on holiday with 14 family members when the tragedy happened on 7 May.

Mr Leyland is being held by police under house arrest at the hotel, but the family have told the BBC he was not there when his wife died.

"This is a nightmare. We just do not understand what is happening," sister-in-law Catherine told BBC News Online.

Catherine Leyland was one of the family members on the trip, and said he was not present when his 34-year-old wife fell.

"Robert didn't even know where she was," she said.

Right now Robert is just numb. He just can't understand why they are doing this and hasn't completely taken in the fact Sharon has died. Sister-in-law Catherine Leyland

"We were downstairs in the hotel and he came down and said he thought she was with us, and then he went to look for her.

"There was a crowd of people where she had fallen, and that's when he found her."

Mrs Leyland added a German couple had been able to provide a witness statement to police, and could confirm Mr Leyland, 37, had nothing to do with the death.

Daughter back in UK

"We want to grieve for Sharon, but we just can't because we don't know what's happening to Robert," she said.

Mrs Leyland has returned to the UK with Robert and Sharon's 14-month-old daughter Morgan-Louise.

Their first child Morgan died in 2000 from meningitis and the couple have both campaigned to raise awareness of the disease.

Mr Leyland was arrested on Friday, and the family said he was held for hours without food or water.

He was then released on Saturday to the hotel - which he is not allowed to leave - and is due to appear in court later on Monday.

Mr Leyland's brother Paul is with him in the Dominican Republic.

"We're hoping that he will be home tonight," Catherine Leyland said.

"Right now Robert is just numb.

"He just can't understand why they are doing this and hasn't completely taken in the fact Sharon has died."

A Foreign Office spokesman said a post-mortem examination was expected to be carried out later on Monday.

Campaigning couple

Mr and Mrs Leyland, from the Haulgh in Bolton, both campaigned to raise awareness of meningitis, after Morgan died from the disease in 2002.

Mr Leyland had taken his daughter to see an emergency doctor after she showed symptoms of meningitis, including a high temperature, cold feet and hands, stiff joints, sore legs and drowsiness.

The doctor sent them home with Calpol and painkillers.

But the couple were still worried about their daughter and Morgan was later admitted to hospital, where she died from meningococcal meningitis.

Morgan's image was used by the Meningitis Research Foundation to help with fundraising.