A Staffie owner mauled to death by his pet was trapped inside his flat screaming for help for half an hour, it was claimed.

Mario Perivoitos, 41, was attacked in Wood Green, north London by his dog called Major on Monday last week, but died in hospital two hours later.

He was with a crew making a BBC documentary at the time of the attack, but they were not filming.

Neighbour Harry Charitou, 27, said: "I was going to bed. There was shouting, shouting, shouting.

"I sort of went down the stairs a little bit and I heard him trying to get out.

"I heard they were trying to get out. He was going 'help me, I need to get out'.

"He was trying to get out and he couldn't. There was a woman and a guy in the flat as well. I didn't know who they were. They were quite well spoken.

"The police, the people inside, they didn't even flipping have a key.

"He was trapped inside. That probably delayed it even more."

A neighbour provided a crowbar, and police had a bigger one too, he added.

He said: "I heard the woman say they have put the dog in the other room.

"When I went down the stairs he was basically saying 'I want to get out'.

"It was a good half an hour he must have been waiting. The ambulance was waiting for the police to crowbar the door out.

"He was shouting. He was very sort of croaky.

"I think it was on the neck."