MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Australian rape trial against a male prostitute who allegedly claimed to be a vampire has been dropped after he was shot dead outside his home.

Shane Chartres-Abbott, 28, was contesting charges in Victoria's County Court that he had raped and beaten a female client in a hotel room last August.

But police said Chartres-Abbott was gunned down outside his home in the Melbourne suburb of Reservoir early on Wednesday as he was leaving to attend the fifth day of the trial.

"We are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward. It appears to have been a planned attack," a police spokeswoman said

A court spokesman said the rape trial was formally abandoned on Thursday.

Local media reported that the trial had heard allegations that Chartres-Abbott told his 30-year-old client he was a vampire and drank blood to survive just days before attacking her, biting off part of her tongue and leaving teeth marks on her thigh.

But Chartres-Abbott denied the rape allegation, claiming he was the victim and the woman had been setting him up to die on camera in a so-called "snuff" movie.

As the trial progressed, he became more concerned about his safety and asked that his identity be suppressed but the court rejected the application.

His former employer, the Male-to-Male Escort Agency, said Chartres-Abbott had worked for them for several years and was very popular with both male and female clients, selling himself for about A$300 (122 pounds) an hour.

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