A wealthy British banker has paid two escorts to help him commit suicide.
The escorts, unaware of the man's plan, were asked to play a kinky sex game and wear safety harness, The Sun newspaper reports.
Colin Birch, 44, had just lost his high-flying job as an assistant vice president at Deutsche Bank in London when he retained the services of Marie Laurent and Alex Sturley, both 35.
He was found dead hanging from a tree after he stood on a wooden step with a noose around his neck and the women yelled abuse him and told him he "deserved to die".
The women, who were paid A$100 each, were asked to meet Birch in a wooded area in south-east England on July 30 and pose as his executioners.
The married father-of-two had previously used the escort service for sado-masochistic sex games.
"A couple of weeks before he died he had five or six girls out in the woods and paid them to abuse him," a police source told the paper.
"He contacted the agency again and sent a text saying he wanted a couple of girls to meet him up on Dartford Heath.
"He said in his message, 'I want them to pretend they are executioners who are going to kill me'."
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on (09) 5222 999 within Auckland or 0800 543 354 outside Auckland.
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