A 41 year old man, named locally as Mario Perivoitos has been bitten to death by his own Staffordshire bull terrier inside his home. He was said to have been bitten on the neck during the incident, which occurred at around 10.30pm on Monday last week, police said.
A neighbour said that the man pleaded to those around: “take the dog off me”, as he was attacked by the animal.
He was rushed to hospital after the incident at his flat in Wood Green, north London, but tragically died two hours later.
Members of a crew making a BBC documentary were present at the time of the attack and called an ambulance, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said. It has been claimed that Mario was taking part in the documentary.
The cause of his death was recorded as hypovolemic shock and damage to the airway consistent with a dog bite after a post-mortem.
Neighbours claimed Mario’s Staffie was a “good dog.” They also revealed how Mario used to live with his Cypriot mother, who is now in a care home.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said they heard “banging” and “shouting” on the night of the incident.
They said: “I knew him for six years but we never talked with him.
“I heard noises, but I didn’t see anything to be honest. It happened last week at night time. It was about 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock.
“It was inside his flat. There was a lot of noise. There was banging, shouting, banging doors, someone calling ‘Mario, Mario’.
“I just saw him on the floor, outside the door. In front of his door.
“I don’t know how he came out, nothing.”
They added: “He had the dog since I came here. His dog was okay, it never attacked, never… it was a good dog.” [myad]
