A millionaire BBC television presenter accidentally suffocated himself to death during a solo sex game, an inquest has heard, reports Daily Mail, London.
Kristian Digby, host of BBC One's daytime property show To Buy Or Not To Buy, was found in his home by a worried friend who had come to check on him.
The 32-year-old homosexual had suffocated and had a plastic bin liner over his head, the court heard.
Mr Digby, who also presented Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, was found by female pal Asiya Rasheed who rented a room from him at one of his properties in Stratford, east London.
Digby lived alone in the two-bedroom house he had built in the garden, Walthamstow Coroner's Court heard.
Mr Digby shot to fame presenting shows including Living In The Sun, House Swap and Buy It, Sell It, Bank It, despite suffering from ‘severe' dyslexia - one of many causes he helped on a charitable basis.
He was found dead on the morning of Monday, March 1, this year. His partner, Jason Englebrecht, had flown back to the UK from Africa the day before and travelled straight from Heathrow to Mr Digby's home.
However, despite calling and texting him several times throughout the afternoon and evening was unable to get hold of the presenter before leaving.
The following morning Mr Englebrecht asked Ms Rasheed to go next door to check on Mr Digby. She found a spare key to his house and let herself in, only to find her friend's ‘lifeless' body on his bed.
Police and medics were called but were unable to resuscitate the property developer, who was found wearing only his boxer shorts, as well as the plastic bag.
Asking questions of Home Office pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift, who carried out the post mortem on Kristian, coroner Dr Elizabeth Stearns said: ‘We are aware he was found with a plastic bin liner over his head, and that was held in place by a belt.
‘That was released obviously by police and ambulance staff.'
Dr Swift told the court that he had found no injuries indicating Mr Digby had been forcibly hooded with the bin liner.
The court heard the BBC presenter's body had been found next to a canister of ethyl chloride - a ‘volatile compound' with pleasure-enhancing effects similar to amyl nitrate.
Dr Swift said: ‘Ethyl chloride is a local anaesthetic which can be used as a spray to anaesthetise an area. It has been reported as being used when inhaled to heighten the effects of pleasure.'
However the pathologist told the court that toxicology tests carried out on Mr Digby had given no indication he had been drinking or ingesting any drugs - including the sex aid spray.
He continued: ‘After a few minutes [following the placement of the bag] when the amount of air you are breathing in the bag diminishes you will lose consciousness.
‘Air entrance into the bag would have been certainly diminished. I give the cause of death as plastic bag asphyxia.'
The TV presenter's mother Paula Digby-Dubois, who travelled with her husband from the family home in Torquay, cried when giving evidence to the court.
She said: ‘He was really happy with his career, he loved it and he was moving further and further upwards. He just loved what he was doing.
‘The last time I spoke to him, I can't remember whether it was the Wednesday or Thursday. He phones just to say he was looking forward to the following week because for part of the series he was doing, To Buy Or Not To Buy, he was actually coming to Devon and Cornwall and he expected to see us.'
Mrs Digby-Dubois told the court Kristian described himself as ‘nothing special, just a third-rate presenter', saying: ‘We didn't think so, we thought he was very special - but he was very modest. Everyone loved Kristian.'
Telling the court how her son followed in his property developer parent's footsteps, even building his own home, she said: ‘He grew up on building sites.
‘He was very firm on the sort of designs he wanted. He worked with an architect, but he knew what he wanted.'
Following the death Metropolitan Police officers investigated to see if Kristian may have been a victim of foul play, but found no evidence to suggest that, the court heard.
Questioning Detective Inspector Lee Barnard, Dr Stearns said: ‘Several people contacted police, people he had been friends with over the years, or met through the internet.
‘In essence, as I understand it, he had developed an interest in autoerotic asphyxiation recently.
‘He was highly sensible, and none of the people that came forward led you to believe in any way they had been involved in this particular tragedy.'
The officer replied ‘absolutely' before, recording a verdict of death by misadventure, the coroner went on: ‘There is no evidence to suggest Kristian was acting out a fantasy with any other person present at the time of his death.
‘I have to conclude that Kristian has died as a result of an intended act, namely placing a plastic bag over his head as part of some sexual experimentation, but did not at any point believe or intend that should lead to his death.'
