An inquest this morning has heard a manufacturer defending the safety and reliability of its diving equipment.

Martin John Parker, managing director of AP Valves, said the rebreather unit which was used by 41 year old Michael Bromsgrove had been badly maintained.

Coroner of inquests Michael Moyle heard Mr Bromsgrove died in April 2006 just minutes into a simple dive in shallow water off Bradda Head.

Today, Mr Parker said his company manufactured the units and they’d been rigorously tested to British and European safety standards.

Jason Roberts reports:

(Text of attached audio)

Mr Parker said the most likely explanation for Mr Bromsgrove’s death was that he’d forgotten to turn on his equipment before getting into the water.

This, he told the court, would have given him only a few minutes of oxygen – and he would have fallen unconscious very quickly when that ran out.

Mr Parker also denied there had been problems with the unit’s battery casing, saying if Mr Bromsgrove had cleaned his equipment thoroughly there should have been no problem.

The hearing continues.