Male escort who claimed Paul Flowers hired him for sex ditched by directory

Gay male escort site Manchester Lads has removed Ciaron Dodd, 21, from its listings for breaking discretion rules

The former chairman of the Co-operative Bank, Paul Flowers (Reuters)

A gay male escort who has claimed former Co-op Bank chairman Paul Flowers hired him for sex and took him to drug-fuelled parties has been sacked from a major escort directory.

Ciaron Dodd, 21, sold his story to the Daily Mail after its sister Sunday newspaper published a video allegedly showing Mr Flowers handing over cash for drugs to an acquaintance.

In a statement posted on gay and bisexual escort blog ‘Men of the UK’, the owner of the ‘Manchester Lads’ listing site, said: “The current Daily Mail and Sun story regarding the kiss and tell escort Ciaron Dodd saddens me and I’ve removed this escort from my listings.

“In my opinion, discretion is an important part of an escort’s service...Discretion is part of why customers pay us and, having accepted that payment, we should honour that promise.

“In the 11 year history of Manchester Lads, nothing like this has ever happened before. The majority of the escorts I list are decent people who provide complete discretion for their customers.”

Despite being thrown off the directory, following Mr Dodd's media coverage, the escort has increased his overnight fee from £450 to £800, The Times reports.

Police confirmed this morning that Paul Flowers has been arrested in Merseyside in connection with a drugs supply investigation.