Stephen Gately’s pal branded gay gold-digger

London (ANI): Georgi Dochev, the Bulgarian who found Stephen Gately"s dead body, has been branded a “gay gold-digger" by a leading gay rights activist. Izzo Petroff launched a sensational attack on jobless Georgi and his boyfriend Valentin Vasev in a leading Bulgarian paper. He claimed that the pair had been targeting famous and rich gays for years.

“Both gay gigolos are real gold-diggers. They have had some success in getting in touch with showbusiness stars," The Daily Star quoted Izzo as saying. He also alleged Valentin had been “close" to a number of other famous celebs, including a chart-topping gay musician.

Georgi, 25, a student who had also worked as a waiter, has told how he met up with tragic singer Stephen and his partner Andrew Cowles, 32, just hours before the Boyzone star"s sudden death. After visiting several clubs, the trio headed back to Stephen"s 1million pound flat, overlooking the bay in Puerto Andratx, Mallorca, at 4.10am and carried on partying.

Georgi told police he discovered Stephen, who was 33, dead on the sofa around lunchtime. However, he claimed to have known the singer for years and said that the Irish star was an old friend. He said he did not attend Stephen"s funeral because he feared fans would misunderstand his relationship with the singer.