Man dies after being attacked by his own dog while talking to BBC documentary crew

Film crew called emergency services but owner's life could not be saved

A general view of a block of flats in Wood Green, north London, where a man died after he was attacked by his dog (Peter Cary/PA Wire)

A Staffordshire bull terrier attacked and killed its owner while a BBC documentary crew were at his home.

Named locally as Mario Perivoitos, the 41-year-old died in hospital because of blood loss and damage to his airwaves “consistent with a dog bite”, police said, citing a postmortem exam.

A BBC film crew was present at the time of the 20 March attack, although a spokesman for the corporation said they were not filming at the time.

They alerted the emergency services, but he died the following morning in hospital.

Neighbour Geoff Morgan said he heard Mr Perivoitos shouting: "Get him off! Get him off me."

The 52-year-old added: "He was shouting really loudly. He was bleeding from his neck. There was a lot of blood."

Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said the dog was called Major, adding that she was “a bit shocked” to find out the creature was behind the attack, because she thought the dog had helped him in the past.

"I heard he had a seizure and the dog apparently saved him,” she said.

She added: "The barking was going on for a good time and the police were banging down the door. He had blood coming down his face. The police knocked on the door and said the dog had killed him."

A BBC spokesman said: “A crew making a BBC documentary were present – but not filming – at the time of the incident and called an ambulance. Given the ongoing inquiries, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

A popular breed in the UK, Staffordshire bull terriers are not banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

A police spokesman said: “The dog was contained by officers and seized. It remains in secure kennels. The man's death is not being treated as suspicious."