April Burbur charged with negligently causing serious harm over Palmerston dog attack

A 60-year-old woman who lost both of her arms after being mauled by a large dog in Palmerston has shared her story with a Supreme Court jury. Read the latest from the trial.

The woman was attacked by a large dog.

A 60-year-old woman who had to undergo a double amputation following a horrific dog attack said she has no memory of that fateful night.

April Burbur faced a Supreme Court jury on Monday to plead not guilty to negligently causing serious harm to Rhonda Matthews in the early hours of Sunday April 9, 2022.

The jury heard that Ms Matthews was alone in the Driver home when she was mauled by Ms Burbur’s 11-year-old American bulldog Mastiff cross, Wilfred.

The large dog’s bites to the woman’s body left her with significant injuries, requiring both arms to be amputated from above the elbow.

Two and a half years after the horrific attack, Ms Matthews told the jury that she had no memory of that evening.

Northern Territory Supreme Court in Darwin, NT. Picture: Zizi Averill

In her recorded police interview the emotional woman struggled to remember any details from that night, telling investigators her next vivid memory was of “waking up in hospital”.

“I can’t even remember the dog biting me,” she said.

Her daughter-in-law Emmeline Spicer told the jury there were three dogs at her cousin’s, Ms Burbur’s party: a mother and her pup wandering around the house, and Wilfred, tied to the inside of the pool fence .

Ms Spicer said at first Wilfred was not doing anything of note, but when other family members arrived he started “growling at all of us”.

“He was old and getting a bit grumpy,” she said.

As the party died down Ms Spicer said she and Ms Burbur wanted to go nightclubbing, but first they needed to help the older woman to get some rest — leaving her alone with the dogs.

“She was dozing off in the chair. I helped her up to the granny flat,” Ms Spicer said.

Ms Matthews told the jury she had drunk two bottles of white wine even before arriving at the party at Ms Burbur’s home.

“I have a habit of falling asleep when I’m drunk; I get tired,” she said.

Under cross examination Ms Matthews told defence barrister Joshua Bach that she could not remember leaving the room, going outside or opening the pool fence where Wilfred was tied up.

When Ms Spicer returned from the night out she found her mother-in-law covered in blood and Wilfred wandering around.

“It looked like he broke the rope,” she said.

Ms Spicer said she was in “shock” confronting the overwhelming scene, and even years later she still felt the “trauma” of the night.

“It’s hard to think about,” she said.

The trial continues on Tuesday and is expected to run for five days.

Originally published as April Burbur charged with negligently causing serious harm over Palmerston dog attack