Woman’s tears after heroic ex dies while rescuing her from dog attack

A woman has broken down in tears as she described the last moments before her ex was fatally mauled while rescuing her and her child from a vicious dog attack.

Warning: this story contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous person.

A woman has broken down in tears as she described the last moments before her ex partner was fatally mauled while rescuing her and her young daughter from a vicious dog attack.

Leah Casperson appeared in the NSW State Coroners Court on Monday, more than five years after her former partner Colin Amatto was killed by two dogs in his own home.

She told an inquest into Mr Amatto’s death that she had been visiting her former partner in January 2019 at the house he shared with a couple, their baby, and their three dogs.

Ms Casperson said she heard the couple, David Murray and Laura Graham, discussing how to best introduce her and her two daughters to the dogs.

Colin Amatto was killed on January 24, 2019 in a fatal dog attack. Picture: Facebook

The dogs looked like they were pitbulls and she guessed they might be “guard dogs”, she told the inquest.

Ms Casperson said the dogs were “fine” and “loving” after they had been given the chance to acclimatise to the visitors. They even slept on a bed with the two young girls.

However, the inquest previously heard Mr Amatto had returned home from work on January 24 to find one of the dogs had bitten his ex and her 10-year-old daughter.

Immediately before the dog attacked, the inquest heard Ms Casperson’s other daughter claimed she saw a man walk past the house and whistle loudly.

However, Ms Casperson said she couldn’t confirm her daughter’s account because she had been inside the house.

She told the inquest she heard the dogs growling inside the house and her 10-year-old daughter screaming.

Ms Casperson broke down in tears and did not describe the vicious subsequent attack on her, her daughter, and Mr Amatto.

The proud Yuin man had saved the lives of his ex and her daughter when he intervened in the dog attack, but lost his own, the inquest was previously told.

He was “savagely mauled” by a staffordshire bull terrier called Boof before another staffy called Hope joined the “attack of extreme ferocity”.

Mr Amatto sustained more than 80 wounds to his head, body, and limbs in the violent and bloody mauling.

He was heroically intervening in an attack on his ex and her daughter.

An inquest is being conducted into his death. Picture: GoFundMe

He did not regain consciousness in the five weeks before his family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support.

The 40-year-old’s tragic death is being examined during an inquest into the circumstances surrounding seven fatal dog attacks that occurred between 2019 and 2023.

Less than two years before his fatal mauling, the inquest heard one of the dogs had violently attacked real estate agent Barry Grant while he had been visiting the property.

A witness previously told the court Boof had “ripped off” Mr Grant’s flesh in the attack, requiring him to undergo surgery and spend four days in hospital.

Ms Casperson told the inquest the dog’s owners had not warned her the dog was dangerous or informed her it had previously mauled someone.

Boof was seized by a Penrith Council animal companions officer on July 24, 2017 at the request of police while they conducted an investigation into the dog attack.

However, it was returned to Mr Murray and Ms Graham after sergeant Arron Lindsay determined no offence had been committed.

In circumstances where Mr Grant was believed to have entered the property without the owner’s permission, police and council concluded the dog had been acting in defence of its property.

Mr Amatto has been remembered in glowing terms by his grieving family.

Sergeant Lindsay asked Penrith Council to return the dog to its owners and informed them no further police action would be taken over the savage attack.

Reflecting on the decision before the inquest, he conceded he could have “done more” to investigate the incident before concluding the dog had been acting defensively.

Penrith Council Environmental Health and Compliance Manager, Greg McCarthy, told the inquest the council did not take steps to declare Boof a dangerous or menacing animal.

The inquest previously heard that a declaration would mandate Boof wearing a muzzle and being contained within a restricted area.

Mr McCarthy said it was hard to determine whether that would have been “an appropriate action”, given police had determined the dog hadn’t committed an offence.

“We hadn’t … considered whether (the attack) was an unreasonable act of aggression by the dog,” he said.

Mr McCarthy opined closer collaboration and better information sharing between Penrith Council and the police on this investigation might have resulted in a different decision.

“I think there’s potential for agencies to work better together,” he said.

Barry Grant was mauled by Boof on 24 July, 2017. Picture: Nine News

One of the focuses of the inquest is to determine the efficacy of the response of local councils and police to fatal dog attacks in order to prevent further tragedies.

Mr McCarthy said there was definite room for improvement.

He told the inquest he had been “shaken, shocked, saddened” to learn about the death of Mr Amatto, who he called “a brave man protecting his family”.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” he told Mr Amatto’s family in the courtroom.

Originally published as Woman’s tears after heroic ex dies while rescuing her from dog attack