Shock and blood loss killed dog walker in attack, says coroner
A DOG walker died from shock and blood loss following multiple bites to the neck, a coroner’s court has heard, as the first tribute was paid to the dead woman by a friend.
Natasha Johnston, 28, died from “multiple penetrating dog bites to the neck” and a wound to her jugular vein in the incident on Jan 12, the hearing at Surrey Coroner’s Court was told.
The coroner revealed a post-mortem carried out at Royal Surrey County Hospital on Jan 18 showed Ms Johnston died from shock and a haemorrhage in the attack at Gravelly Hill, near Caterham.
Last night, a friend of Ms Johnston who asked to remain anonymous, contacted The Daily Telegraph to pay tribute to her and insisted she “was not new to dogs” having walked them for around five years and always “worked really hard” training them.
The friend described her as a sporty, funny woman with her life ahead of her and said: “There’s been an implication since she died that she’s only just picked up dog walking in the pandemic – that’s not true, she was walking dogs way before that.”
The friend said Ms Johnston was “a very sensible and quiet person” and added: “I walked dogs daily with her at one point, looking after them, well in control of them; a professional.”
Ms Johnston, who grew up on the Isle of Wight, owned a labradoodle and had previously owned a Staffordshire bull terrier, the friend said, adding that she understood she may have recently taken in a rescue dog.
The friend added: “She was a person living a straightforward life, living with her dad, driving a beat-up car, walking dogs and loving animals.
“My dog loved her, dogs loved her and she was very on it if a dog was misbehaving – she was absolutely straight on it and very focused. She really worked very hard on training the dogs.”
Coroner Simon Wickens, sitting in Woking, yesterday expressed “sincere condolences” to Ms Johnston’s family “and all those touched by her life”.
The court heard that eight dogs have been seized and remain in police custody. None were banned breeds, with two dachshunds and an 11-stone leonberger, named Shiva, among them.
The dogs remain in private kennels while forensic tests, including dentistry to try to discover which of them was responsible for Ms Johnston’s wounds, are carried out, and police sources told The Daily Telegraph there is no date in sight for their release.
Mr Wickens fixed a date of June 29 for the inquest to begin but added that could be changed.
The court confirmed Ms Johnston’s listed occupation was dog walker and she lived in Croydon.
The tragedy has prompted concern over contradictory regulations for dog walkers, with councils setting different limits on the number of animals walked by a single person.
Croydon council allows four dogs per handler, while Tandbridge district council, which covers the area where the attack took place, allows six dogs.
It also emerged yesterday that Ms Johnston was not licensed by the local council where she was attacked.
The police inquiry concluded last week, saying no prosecutions would be brought.
Surrey Police confirmed it passed a file on to the coroner detailing the incident, which did involve a dog walked by another woman.
‘She was professional. My dog loved her. Dogs loved her and she was very on it if a dog was misbehaving’