LONDON — The family of an MI6 intelligence officer found dead in the bathtub of his flat said Friday they were "very, very upset" at claims that bondage equipment and sado-masochism paraphernalia was found at the scene.

Gareth Williams, 30, is thought to have been dead for two weeks when his decomposing remains were found Monday in a bag in the bath at his home near the London headquarters of MI6, where he worked.

As friends painted a picture of Williams as a shy mathematics genius who loved cycling, The Times newspaper reported that police had found bondage gear in his flat and possible evidence linking him to a male escort.

But William Hughes, a cousin of Williams's mother, said she and his father were surprised and upset by the suggestion.

"I have spoken to Gareth's parents and they are not doing well at all," he added.

"They are in a state of shock and struggling to come to terms with what has happened.

"They have seen what has been in the papers and they are very, very upset about these untruths. I don't see any evidence of it.

"It never crossed my mind that Gareth was that sort of person. He left home at a young age and what happened in his private life was his business."

Scotland Yard declined to comment in detail on the investigation but said that officers were awaiting the results of tests on Williams's body after a post-mortem examination failed to determine the precise cause of death.

The tests should reveal details including whether he had been drinking or taking drugs. There was no sign of forced entry at the flat.

He was just days from completing a one-year secondment to MI6 from his job at GCHQ, Britain's "listening post" which monitors communications for intelligence purposes, located in Cheltenham.

A childhood friend of Williams, Dylan Perry, told London's Evening Standard newspaper that he was highly intelligent but could be easily led.

"He was the kind of person who found it difficult to engage with people on a normal level," Perry said.

His former maths teacher, Geraint Williams, added that Williams had "definitely the best brain" he had ever come across.

"If you explained something once to Gareth, he remembered it. You didn't have to explain it a second time," he said.

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