Dominique Ghys, deputy mayor of Mantes-la-Ville, where one-third of the population is Muslim, has been found dead at his home.

The Front National councillor, who reportedly met with North African men on the internet, was discovered by police dead, handcuffed and shirtless on Friday morning.

Seeing the door open on Friday morning, a municipal employee entered Mr Ghys’ apartment to find the deputy mayor’s body faced down, wearing a dog collar attached to a leash.

The employee, who had been due an appointment with Mr Ghys at 8am that day, found the councillor wearing “a kind of force bracelet equipped with shackles and metal rings”, BFMTV reported.

According to Le Parisien, the employee reported finding several sex toys near the body “that can unequivocally only be related to sadomasochistic practices” Vincent Lesclous, prosecutor of Versailles, said.

Some twenty other sexually suggestive objects were found by investigators, stored on racks in an adjacent room.

The area’s Front National mayor, Cyril Nauth, saluted a “man enthusiastic, passionate about the sport, very invested in sports of the urban community, in particular rowing”.

Prosecutors in Versailles reported that an investigation has been opened, in order to discover what caused the councillor’s death.

“The wife of Dominique Ghys was hospitalized for several days. Was he alone in the hours leading up to his death? Individuals were they with him, who left the scene after? We do not know yet”, Mr Lesclous commented.

A source close to the case noted that Mr Ghys regularly met with men on the internet, and had “a preference for North African partners”.

Le Parisien reported that the councillor’s antics took place in front of his wife on occasion and one man even took Mr Ghys’ car after a dispute relating to payment.

Authorities in Versailles today declared that the deputy mayor died of natural causes. A source remarked that Mr Ghys “was sick”, advising that the death “was not suspicious”.