Mario Perivoitos died at his north London home after being attacked by Staffordshire bull terrier in front of BBC film crew 
 
 Dog that mauled owner to death had 'probably taken crack cocaine' 
 
 A Staffordshire bull terrier that killed its owner by crushing his larynx in its jaws in front of a BBC documentary crew had probably taken crack cocaine, an inquest has heard. 
 
 The dog’s owner, Mario Perivoitos, died at his home in Wood Green, north London, in an incident in March that was seen but not filmed by BBC journalists making a programme about drugs. 
 
 An inquest at North London coroner’s court heard that the behaviour of the dog, called Major, could have been triggered by crack cocaine. 
 
 Nicholas Carmichael, a veterinary toxicologist, told the inquest that samples indicating high levels of cocaine and morphine were discovered in the dog’s urine. 
 
 Mail Online quoted Carmichael as saying: “It is very likely that this dog had consumed drugs, probably eaten them. It is almost impossible to say whether that will make the dog attack, but it does make them respond abnormally. 
 
 “They become very excited and agitated. It is more likely that this attack happened because this dog had taken cocaine.” 
 
 Julie Higgins, a pathologist, told the court that Perivoitos’s body “included injuries to the neck and face, with extensive haemorrhaging, and the larynx was crushed”. 
 
 The BBC crew were at his home filming Drugs Map of Britain when he began having a seizure. 
 
 The programme’s producer, Joshua Haddow, managed to wrestle Major off his owner, but it was too late to save him, the court heard. During the attack, Major crushed Mario’s larynx and caused him to lose so much blood he was given ten pints to try and revive him later in hospital, the court heard. 
 
 The senior coroner, Andrew Walker, concluded that Perivoitos died as a consequence of injuries received from the dog. He pointed out that the victim had taken cocaine before the attack. 
 
 
 
 “It is likely that he was experiencing an epileptic shock, which caused the dog to nip his face before biting his neck. The film crew telephoned an ambulance while attempting to get the dog off Mr Perivoitos,” he said. 
 
 “It is likely that the dog had consumed cocaine by eating it and it is likely that this was an additional factor in the dog’s behaviour. Mr Perivoitos suffered serious injuries and was taken to a major trauma hospital, and died shortly after midnight.” 
 
 Walker thanked the BBC crew for their attempts to save Perivoitos. Police told the inquest that Major is to be put down. 

 A Staffordshire Bull Terrier mauled its owner to death after eating crack cocaine, an inquest heard. 
 
 
 
 Major was the equivalent of eight times the human drug drive limit when he latched onto Mario Perivoitos's face and neck moments after his owner took part in a BBC documentary. 
 
 
 
 Mario, 41, had been filming with a camera crew for the BBC programme Drugs Map Britain when he fell into an epileptic fit and attacked on his bed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Nicholas Carmichael, an expert in veterinary toxicology, revealed that samples of cocaine and morphine had been discovered in Major's urine. 
 
 
 
 The exact reading and measurement of cocaine was not stated but Mr Carmichael said: "We undertook two analysis of blood and we did not find any toxins but we also received a urine sample and identified a cocaine metabolite and also morphine. 
 
 
 
 "It is very likely that this dog had consumed drugs, probably eaten them. 
 
 
 
 "It is almost impossible to say whether that will make the dog attack but it does make them respond abnormally. 
 
 
 
 "They become very excited and agitated, it is highly more likely that this attack happened because this dog had taken cocaine. 
 
 
 
 "In my experience with Staffordshire Bull Terriers if they think they are in a dominant position its response must have been to attack. 
 
 
 
 "The dog was eight times the drug drive limit. 
 
 
 
 "The dog had clearly taken it and, whether it had eaten it or taken it in by smoke, it is likely to have been a factor in the dog's behaviour." 
 
 
 
 Before becoming a vet pathologist he spent over a decade as a veterinary surgeon. 
 
 
 
 He added: "The drug is very quickly excreted from the dogs body it must have been ingested up to 48 hours before, but it may have been much shorter than that. 
 
 
 
 "The combination of these events together with the fact that there were drugs in the dog's system made it behave in the way that it did. 
 
 
 
 "In our opinion the dogs behaviour was as a result of the intoxication of cocaine." 
 
 
 
 Pathologist Dr Julie Higgins said: "The body included injuries to the neck and face with extensive haemorrhaging and the larynx was crushed." 
 
 
 
 Peter Roe, a London Ambulance Service paramedic said: "I arrived at the scene at 10.42pm the front door was locked upstairs in a tower block, it was clad in heavy locks. 
 
 
 
 "Approximately nine minutes were required for the police to open the door. 
 
 
 
 "Mario has a laceration to the neck about four or five centimetres long, I could observe his trachea, it was a large deep wound to the left had side of his neck." 
 
 
 
 Senior Coroner Andrew Walker recorded a conclusion of death as a consequence of injuries received from a dog. 
 
 
 
 In his conclusionhe said: "Mr Perivoitos was taking part in a documentary about illegal drugs, having returned to his home at 10.17pm consumed a quantity of cocaine before becoming unwell. 
 
 
 
 "It is likely that he was experiencing an epileptic shock which caused the dog to nip his face before biting his neck. 
 
 
 
 "The film crew telephoned an ambulance whilst attempting to get the dog off Mr Perivoitos. 
 
 
 
 "It is likely that the dog had consumed cocaine by eating it and it is likely that this was an additional factor in the dog's behaviour. 
 
 
 
 "Mr Perivoitos suffered serious injuries and was taken to a major trauma hospital and died shortly after midnight." 
 
 
 
 He added: "I would like to thank the witness personally for their actions at the scene and that of the colleague who was there helping and following advice from the London Ambulance Service, it is to be commended." 
 
 
 
 The officer in the case detective chief inspector Luke Marks, who brought no criminal charges in the case, told the court that Major was due to be destroyed. 
 
 
 
 He said: "The dog was taken to a secure police storage facility, it was due to be destroyed but I do not know if it has been." 

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 The frenzied Staffordshire bull terrier that mauled its owner to death had taken crack cocaine , an inquest heard. 
 
 Major was the equivalent of eight times the human drug-drive limit when he latched on to Mario Perivoitos’ neck, moments after his owner took part in a BBC documentary . 
 
 Mr Perivoitos, 41, had been filming with a camera crew for Drugs Map Britain when he fell into an epileptic fit and was attacked on his bed. 
 
 Nicholas Carmichael, an expert in veterinary toxicology, said samples of cocaine and morphine had been discovered in Major’s urine. 
 
 BBC camera crew pulled Staffordshire Bull terrier off its fitting owner's throat while filming drugs documentary 
 
 (Image: SWNS.com) 
 
 (Image: GOOGLE MAPS) 
 
 He said such drugs make dogs “become very excited and agitated”. 
 
 Pathologist Dr Julie Higgins said Mr Perivoitos, of Wood Green, North London, suffered “extensive haemorrhaging” and his “larynx was crushed”. 
 
 At Barnet coroner’s court, North London, coroner Andrew Walker said: “Mr Perivoitos was taking part in a documentary about drugs and took cocaine before becoming unwell. 
 
 “It is likely he was experiencing an epileptic shock, which caused the dog to nip his face before biting his neck.” 
 
 (Image: SWNS.com) 
 
 (Image: SWNS-London-+44 (0)1179066550) 
 
 Mr Walker told how the film crew had frantically tried to pull Major off its owner and called an ambulance. 
 
 He added: “It is likely that the dog had consumed cocaine by eating it and it is likely that this was an additional factor in the dog’s behaviour.” 
 
 Police told the court Major was due to be put down.
– It looks like a dog that fatally attacked its owner in London was high on crack cocaine. During a coroner's inquest, a veterinary toxicologist testified that high levels of the drug and of morphine were found in the urine of the Staffordshire bull terrier named Major following the March attack, which was witnessed by a BBC crew filming a series about drugs, per the Guardian. Mario Perivoitos had begun having a seizure when Major reportedly attacked, crushing his owner's larynx and causing loss of blood. A producer intervened, but 41-year-old Perivoitos died later at a hospital. A coroner said Perivoitos had also taken cocaine and was likely "experiencing an epileptic shock, which caused the dog to nip his face before biting his neck," per the Mirror. It is "likely that this attack happened because this dog had taken cocaine … up to 48 hours before, but it may have been much shorter than that," the Guardian and Evening Times quote the veterinary toxicologist as saying. "It is almost impossible to say whether that will make the dog attack but it does make them respond abnormally." Detective chief inspector Luke Marks told the court that the dog was taken to a police facility following the attack and "was due to be destroyed but I do not know if it has been."