THE mother of a Kings Hill soldier killed while serving in Afghanistan has mounted a scathing attack on the authorities for failing to provide adequate equipment.

Speaking at the inquest into the death of Corporal Ivano Violino earlier this week, his mother, Diane Bell, accused the Ministry of Defence of negligence for continuing to use non-armoured vehicles, despite criticism they have cost lives.

The 29-year-old father-of-two was killed by an explosive device in 2007. He had been travelling as a passenger in an FL-12 non-armoured dump-truck carrying equipment as part of a convoy across the desert in Helmand Province. The driver, Cpl Govinda Tamang, escaped unharmed.

Addressing Colonel David Eadie, Mrs Bell said: "Do you not think that because a lot of these vehicles have lost people's lives, it's a little bit negligent for those vehicles to be used when they're not armoured?

"All our lads are going out there risking their lives and as far as protection is concerned, there can never be too much.

"At the end of the day these lads are risking their lives, and it is not only theirs that are being destroyed."

During the inquest Mrs Bell broke down in tears several times.

"I wouldn't want any other family, any mother or father, to go through what we have been through," she said.

"It has been devastating."

But Col Eadie, a senior officer who oversees operations, said it was the Taleban who should be held responsible.

"We are doing absolutely everything in our power to maximise safety," he said.

"The Taleban are not stupid and every time we make improvements, they are looking at how to get around them.

"If the Taleban put down a big bomb it doesn't matter how much armour is protecting a vehicle, and there has to be a balance between mobility and defence."

He said the Army's few FL-12s performed a vital role in building protection around camps in Afghanistan, and had to be moved overland because they were too heavy to be carried by helicopter.

He said: "Our resources are finite and the commander had to take that into consideration.

"He had to use what was at his disposal. I can assure you every time something happens like this, we immediately look in depth at what lessons can be learned. But these changes aren't simple. "

The Government has been heavily criticised for using substandard equipment. Major Sebastian Morley blamed under-investment for his resignation last year after four of his soldiers were killed when their lightly-armoured snatch Land Rovers hit explosive devices.

The vehicle Cpl Violino was travelling in was non-armoured.

North West Kent deputy assistant coroner, Mr Christopher Sutton-Mattocks, recorded the verdict that Cpl Violino had been killed in action in Her Majesty's Services.

He described the cause of death as "blast wounds caused by an explosion".

Speaking after the inquest, Cpl Violino's father-in-law, Paul Bearsby, said: "He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him and we hope that the findings of this inquiry will be used to help lessons to be learned.

"I would also like the politicians to do some soul-searching.

"I hope that in their heart of hearts that if it was their sons or daughters out there, they would feel safe, and everything was being done to help them."

Cpl Violino is survived by his wife, Katey Anne, and his twins from a previous relationship – Ellie and son Lewis, who is now nine.