Meter reader death pre-inquest conference: Incident involving dogs at Greenbank property just seven days before fatal attack

Bombshell revelations a separate incident involving dogs was not reported to Logan City Council less than a week before an Energex meter reader was fatally mauled, have rocked an inquest into the man’s tragic death.

The family of a meter reader who was tragically mauled by a dog at a Greenbank home, are hopeful an inquest will prevent the tragedy from happening to others as a failure to report an earlier dog incident rocks the inquest.

A separate incident involving dogs at a Greenbank property was not reported to Logan City Council less than a week before Energex meter reader Kane Minion 42, died after he was attacked by a Bandog bull-mastiff and a Rhodesian ridgeback cross, while working as an electricity contractor at a Greenbank home on December 3, 2022.

A pre-inquest conference at Southport Coroner’s Court on Friday morning heard that the homeowners – Dean Morrow and his then-estranged wife Paula Morrow did not receive an email or text message alert that the meter of their Ison Rd property would be read on December 3.

Mr Bernhard Berger, who was the counsel assisting Coroner Amanda Bain in the matter, also revealed that a separate incident had occurred at the property on November 25, 2022.

“Evidence also tendered will reveal that an incident had taken place seven days before Mr Minion’s death where a pump technician by the name of Mr Brian Hartnett had entered the property and two dogs had rushed at him causing him to get in his vehicle while (the dogs) continued to bite at him near the door of the vehicle,” Mr Berger said.

Kane Minion, 42, who was killed after being attacked by dogs while working as a contract meter reader for ENERGEX at a property at Greenbank, pictured with his fiance Toni Baird. Picture Supplied

“Evidence will be tendered that Mr Hartnett drove up to the property and a young male has exited the dwelling, restrained the dogs and apologised for having forgot to restrain them on that day.

“This was not reported to the Logan City Council.”

Mr Berger said evidence would also be submitted that a separate incident had occurred in March of 2020.

“An incident took place in March of 2020 where (one of the dogs) was reported by a neighbour to have rushed at the neighbour’s dog due to a problem with the boundary fence,” he said.

“Records will reveal that the Logan City Council investigators did not regulate this dog as either dangerous or menacing and records revealed that their reasoning was such that there was no established bodily contact injury or fear in the other animal.

“The complainant had wished to withdraw their complaint as it was being resolved by fixing the boundary fence.

“Evidence will reveal that this was the only incident that had been reported to Logan City Council.”

Dogs seized after mauling man to death. Picture 9 News

Mr Berger said Mr and Mrs Morrow were not living at the Ison Rd property at the time of Mr Minion’s death, but the couple’s children, then aged 17 and 19 were.

Mr Berger said Mr Minion was a “safe and diligent employee” who had worked for Downer Spotless, a contractor of Energy Queensland for more than 7 years.

Ruth O’Gorman KC, who appeared on behalf of Energy Queensland Limited and Energex Limited submitted that pump technician Brian Hartnett should be added to the witness list.

“There are processes in place whereby if an incident such as Mr Hartnett’s was reported to an entity like Logan City Council there may very well have been grounds for making of the dangerous dog declaration,” she said.

“By considering what the processes are in place and in particular what steps Logan City Council might take when such a notification is made, that your honour might be able to consider ways to prevent similar deaths to Mr Minion’s happening in the future.”

Police at the scene of the attack on Ison Road, Greenbank. Picture David Clark

“Mr Hartnett’s experience on the 25th of November being so closely timed to Mr Minion’s death are also seemingly so similar to the circumstances Mr Minion found himself in is relevant to the question that your honour must find if possible of how Mr Minion died, the circumstances in which he died.

“It would be relevant for your honour to determine if possible in the course of this inquest whether Mr Minion was killed by two dogs which had aggressive tendencies or whether he was killed by two dogs who were acting out of character on that day.”

Given there were no witnesses to Mr Minion’s death, Ms O’Gorman said “your honour also can’t know and won’t be able know what opportunity Mr Minion had to escape the property and the attacking dogs on the day he died”

“But Mr Hartnett’s account will assist greatly,” she said.

Mr Berger said the property at 173-177 Ison Rd, was “fronted by a 180cm tall fence which had a double chain wire, fenced gate”.

“Fixed to that gate was a sign that stated in capital letters ‘WARNING. GUARD DOGS ON DUTY. DO NOT ENTER’,” he said.

A warning sign of the gates of the property. Picture David Clark

“Your honour will hear that the meter box on this particular property was attached to a power pole at the front southwestern corner of the property, approximately 40.2 metres to the west of the front gate, directly along the front fence line.”

“A second internal fence and gate which surrounded the house of the property which was located further into the property was located approximately 130 metres from the front of the property, however, evidence will suggest that this second gate only became visible after walking approximately 35 metres towards the meter box, along the driveway after entering the gate.”

Mr Berger said Mr Minion undertook specific dog risk training in 2015 and “subsequent re-induction programs in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022.”

He said there were four dogs at the property at the time of Mr Minion’s death which included a “4-year-old tan and white bandog crossed with bull-mastiff, a 3-year-old tan bull-mastiff crossed with Rhodesian ridgeback, a 12-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback and 15 week old miniature dachshund” but that none were “regulated” by Logan City Council.

Mr Berger submitted that alerts had previously been sent to Mr and Mrs Morrow, advising them of upcoming meter reading, on March 9, June 8 and September 7 of 2022.

Kane Minion's fiancee Toni Baird at Southport Courthouse for the Pre-Inquest Conference. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“This evidence will also confirm that meter readings successfully took place on each of these occasions,” he said.

Speaking about the incident on December 3, Mr Berger said “An email and text message was not sent to the owners of the property like those that had been sent three times earlier that year”.

The court heard Mr Minion attended “numerous” properties in the Greenbank area on December 3.

“Between 6:40am and 9:56am Mr Minion attended numerous properties within the suburb of Greenbank, he skipped meter reading at 32 properties and recorded reasons to justify why they were skipped, 7 of those 32 reasons listed ‘unsure if dog was restrained’,” Mr Berger said.

Mr Berger said when Mr Minion arrived at the Ison Rd property there were several messages on his handheld unit including “dog behind second fence, gate dummy locked, first pole (where meter was located)”.

Coroner Amanda Bain said Mr Hartnett would be added to the witness list with a five-day inquest set from October 13, 2025.

The dogs were humanely euthanized by Logan City Council shortly after the fatal attack, however, no charges have been laid or fines issued.

Speaking after the pre-inquest conference, Mr Minion’s fiancee Toni Baird said: “We’re moving forward, and for the first time, it feels like we’re getting closer to understanding the truth.”

Ms Baird was joined in court by her mother and Kane’s two sisters.

“The fight for justice has only just begun but today has given me some reassurance that we’re heading in the right direction – I’m hopeful that we can work toward preventing this happening to anyone else,“ she said.

While Ms Baird’s lawyer, Travis Schultz and Partners, managing partner Travis Schultz said the upcoming inquest would “expose any systemic failures that contributed to this tragedy”.

“We hope the findings will drive meaningful reforms in safety protocols, ensuring better protection for meter readers and other workers in similar roles,” he said.

“The upcoming inquest will be an opportunity for the Coroner to scrutinise the procedures and decisions that led to Kane’s tragic death.“

Kane Minion, 42, who was killed while working as a meter reader at a property at Greenbank.

A Coroners Court of Queensland spokesman confirmed that on November 1, the coroner decided that an inquest into Mr Minion’s death would be held, the same day Ms Baird called for “answers”.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland conducted investigations into Mr Minion’s death and referred the matter to the Office of Workplace Health and Safety Prosecutions (OWHSP) which determined “no prima facie case was disclosed against any duty holder for any offences contrary to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)”.

“This decision was not a result of any deficiency in the investigation or the supplied brief of evidence, which was of an exceptionally high standard,” an OWHSP spokesperson said in October of 2023.

In response to the decision, Ms Baird said: “Given my views on worker protection and owner responsibility, I was deeply upset by the Prosecutor’s decision to not hold any party accountable”.

“I don’t want what happened to Kane to be ‘swept under the carpet’ and with decisions like this, others in this line of work continue to be at risk,” she said.