A leading cancer researcher has been found dead in a full-body, blue and black rubber suit in the woods, as part of some bizarre sex fetish.

52-year-old Alan Clarke was found by his wife and neighbours hanging from a tree in the suit just three hours after taking the dog for a walk. You’ve got to feel for his friends and family, but honest to god, if you’re going to do the old asphyxiation thing at least do it in the privacy of your own home — especially if you’re doing it in a rubber suit. He’d even put on a hooded mask and used the dog lead as the rope.

Neighbour Steven Rogers, who helped look for Alan, said:

Mrs Clarke came to my house anxious and upset and explained that her husband had gone out with the dog earlier that afternoon and had not returned.

During the search I could hear the very distant sound of a dog barking. I followed the sound in the hope that it was Tess the family dog.

Eventually we found the dog on the opposite side of a stream from where we were walking.

When I reached her I looked around the area with the aid of a torch and I saw a man kneeling with his face down.

His head was covered by a hood with holes in it for eyes and a mouth.

He was wearing a thin blue jacket with leather-like trousers. I couldn’t see his face clearly but I knew it was Alan and I knew he was dead.

It was later confirmed that he had died from asphyxiation by hanging, with coroner David Bowen saying:

In this case given the evidence the death of Mr Clarke was an attempt of some sort of sexual gratification that went wrong.

His wife ruled out the option of suicide — she even said they were planning to go to the beach the next day.

The science sector are paying tribute to Alan as he was actually a well-respected expert in cancer research and director of the European Cancer Stem Cell Research.

There are just so many unanswered questions in this one. Why did he feel the need to do it in the woods? Was it an off the cuff thing or was it planned? And WHY the rubber suit?

I guess it will forever remain a mystery. Poor guy — he should have just found interest in a less dangerous fetish like the guy who’s sexually into balloons.