John Forge: Award-winning philosophy professor is found dead at Cataract Gorge, Launceston after a knock on the door from Tasmania Police

EXCLUSIVE

A respected multi-millionaire philosophy professor who wrote extensively on morality and ethics plunged to his death amid an investigation into historical allegations of sexual assault.

Oxford University alumni Dr. John Forge, an honorary professor at the University of Sydney, dedicated his life to researching human morality and won several awards, including the Australian Catholic University Eureka Prize for Research in Ethics for 2010.

But behind closed doors, the 77-year-old has been secretly living under a cloud while a police investigation into claims of sexual abuse and accusations that he was leading a double life was underway.

On May 2, Dr Forge was found dead at the foot of Cataract Gorge, in Launceston, Tasmania – just hours after a detective knocked on his door asking him to go to a police station for questioning.

Daily Mail Australia understands police informed him he was facing allegations he sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman in her 30s between 2019 and 2022.

The claims against Dr. Forge related to alleged incidents that took place in NSW and Tasmania – with the esteemed ethics expert having moved from Sydney to Launceston in January 2022.

A Tasmania Police spokesperson confirmed that a person was found dead in Cataract Gorge on May 2 in circumstances not believed to be suspicious.

The alleged victim’s mother told Daily Mail Australia that the detective working the case called her at 3pm on May 2 to say she had just entered Dr. Forge, after she asked him to go to the police station to make a statement.

But just hours later, the woman said she received a call from police to reveal officers had found him dead at the bottom of the canyon.

“A member of the public found his ID, phone and keys on a path and called the police, who then went looking for him,” she said.

‘It happened within an hour and a half of the impact.

“He was living a double life and it was about to be discovered.”

The alleged victim’s mother said Dr. Forge groomed her daughter and then began sexually abusing her five years ago, when she was 30.

‘He was absolutely obsessed with her. It was creepy,” she said.

‘It took a lot of courage to go to the police and make her statement. (The alleged victim) has a strong sense of justice.”

Although she is relieved that her daughter will not have to go through a difficult court battle, the news was bittersweet.

“She said to me, ‘He’ll never have his day in court.’ He will never have to pay for what he has [allegedly] finished”.’

Dr. Forge – who was appointed honorary professor at the University of Sydney in the early 2000s – focused his research on the moral responsibilities of scientists, particularly in the use and development of weapons.

His impressive list of tertiary achievements included studies at several prestigious institutions including Oxford, Cornell and University College London.

In addition to the Eureka Prize, his book, The Responsible Scientist: A Philosophical Inquiry, won him the David Harold Tribe Philosophy Award in 2009.

According to his website, Dr. Forge defined morality as “the way in which moral persons should behave toward others.”

“To cause unnecessary and unnecessary harm is to act morally wrong,” he wrote.

Skylar Silverstein, a sex worker from Sydney, met Dr Forge when he became one of her clients in January last year.

She said she felt “stomach ache” after hearing about his alleged actions.

“He seemed charming, he was well respected in various academic circles, he was an author and he wrote so many books,” she said.

“But underneath there were many skeletons in his closet that were about to be exposed.

“It’s ironic that he wrote a book about the morality of guns, but still, where was his moral obligation to this girl?”

There has been no public reaction to Dr.’s death. Forge, except his Facebook page has switched to a memorial template.

The University of Sydney was concerned about the allegations against Dr Forge.

“We are deeply committed to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for everyone in our community,” a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

‘We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of harassing or abusive behaviour, including sexual misconduct.

“If any of our community experience or witness such behavior, we urge them to get in touch so we can provide appropriate support and follow-up.”

There will be a report on the death of Dr. Forge are prepared for the coroner.

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