THE mother of a Gwent soldier who died during a parachute jump says his life could have been saved by a vital piece of kit.

Carol Wright, 58, yesterday said no more young men should "die needlessly" like her son Daniel.

She wants all trainee parachute jumpers issued with an Automatic Activation Device, which releases a second parachute automatically if the first fails to open.

Newport-born Captain Daniel Wright, 25, of the Queen's Ghurka Signal Corps, who served in Afghanistan, was taking part in only his second parachute jump during training at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, when he died last November.

The mother-of-two, of The Garw, Croesyceiliog, said she expected recommendations by an Army board of inquiry into her son's death. "We know AAD would have saved Daniel's life. I want it recommended that AAD is issued as standard. It will hopefully prevent any other young man being killed needlessly."

An Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "It would not be appropriate to comment on the board's findings but unless there are special circumstances the report will not be published, though a copy will be given to the family."

A separate investigation by the Health and Safety Executive is ongoing.