Colin Amatto: Inside the harrowing final moments before hero dad was mauled to death by ‘guard dogs’ fighting to save his daughter – as the the brave man’s former partner breaks down in tears recalling the horror

A woman has broken down in tears as she described the final moments before her ex-partner was fatally mauled while saving 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 visited him in January 2019 at the home he shared with a couple, their baby and their three dogs.

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

The dogs looked like they were pit bulls and she suspected they might be ‘guard dogs’, she told the inquest.

Ms Casperson said the dogs were ‘fine’ and ‘loving’ after being given a chance to acclimatise to the visitors.

They even slept on a bed with the two young girls.

But the inquest previously heard that Mr Amatto came 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 that Mrs Casperson’s other daughter claimed she saw a man walking past the house and whistling loudly.

However, Ms Casperson said she could not confirm her daughter’s story because she had been in the house.

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

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

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

He was ‘savagely mauled’ by a Staffordshire bull terrier called Boof before another staff called Hope joined the ‘attack of extreme cruelty’.

Mr Amatto suffered more than eighty wounds to his head, body and limbs during the violent and bloody mauling.

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

The 40-year-old’s tragic death is being investigated during an investigation 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 that one of the dogs had violently attacked estate agent Barry Grant while he was visiting the property.

A witness previously told the court that Boof had ‘torn off’ Mr Grant’s flesh during 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 nor had he told her he had previously mauled someone.

Boof was seized by a Penrith Council animal control officer at the request of police on July 24, 2017 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 offense had been committed.

In circumstances where it was believed that Mr Grant had entered the property without the owner’s consent, police and council concluded that the dog was acting in defense of his property.

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

Reflecting on the decision before the inquest, he admitted he ‘could have done more’ to investigate the incident before concluding the dog had acted defensively.

Penrith Council Environmental Health and Compliance Manager Greg McCarthy told the inquest the council had taken no steps to declare Boof a dangerous or threatening animal.

The inquest previously heard that a declaration would require Boof to wear a muzzle and be in a restricted area.

Mr McCarthy said it was difficult to determine whether that would have been “an appropriate action” as police had determined the dog had not committed an offence.

“We had not considered whether (the attack) was an unreasonable act of aggression by the dog,” he said.

Mr McCarthy said closer cooperation and better information sharing between Penrith Council and police on this investigation could have led to a different decision.

“I think there are opportunities for agencies to work better together,” he said.

One of the focuses of the research is to determine the effectiveness of local authorities’ and police’s response to fatal dog attacks to prevent further tragedies.

Mr McCarthy said there was definitely room for improvement.

He told the inquest he was “shocked, shocked and saddened” when he heard about the death of Mr Amatto, who he called “a brave man who protected his family”.

“I am very sorry for your loss,” he told Mr. Amatto’s family in court.