It’s a terrible tragedy his life should end like this.”It is thought that Mr Forlong had not been able to find steady work since his departure from the satellite news channel. Last night it was reported he had applied for a job in the press office of the Prince of Wales, but that he was unsuccessful, despite a friendly written reference from Mr Pollard.One mystery remains, however. James was a devoted, loving father and we shall all miss him desperately.”She added that Mr Forlong cared “passionately” for his job and had been profoundly affected by the circumstances leading to his resignation.”He had been shattered by the recent blow to his career as a journalist. Do not ring the bell.”A statement issued by Mrs Forlong said: “The family is devastated by his death, which we are still trying to come to terms with. Just because it was arrived at quickly does not mean that it wasn’t a highly difficult decision.”Mr Forlong’s family was struggling to come to terms with his death yesterday.Several cars lined the drive of his detached 1930s house in Hove, as mourners visited his widow, Elaine, and children, Christopher, 15, and Katie, 12.A handwritten note was attached to the doorbell It read: “Please respect the family’s privacy.

Everyone here sends their deepest sympathies to James’s wife and children.”A source close to events denied Mr Forlong had been the victim of rough justice: “The decision was taken swiftly but fairly, at a proper hearing. This is not a pleasant thing to have to come to terms with,” said a senior executive. A reporter added: “Everyone here is very shocked.” Mr Pollard said: “This is a terrible personal tragedy and a shocking blow for James’s family. She continues to work at Sky News, but was refusing to speak to reporters yesterday.The anguish could be heard in the voices of Mr Forlong’s television colleagues who would speak “How do you think we feel? People here are so down We have lost a friend. Two days later he felt compelled to resign, after telling the inquiry he had no idea why he faked his report.Ms Chaytor, who was not on the submarine when Mr Forlong compiled his report, was cleared of all wrongdoing.

The journalist, on location in St Petersburg covering a royal visit, was ordered to return to the network’s headquarters near Heathrow for a disciplinary hearing. Nick Pollard, the head of Sky News, cut short his holiday in Portugal to investigate. On 16 July, Mr Forlong was suspended, along with another journalist, the producer Lucy Chaytor. Two months later, as the series was about to be screened, the corporation, mired in an ethical controversy of its own over Andrew Gilligan’s Today programme report, passed details of its findings to a newspaper.From then, Mr Forlong’s career was over. A Sky source said yesterday: “What none of us understands is why he did not insert four words ­ “this is an exercise” ­ and there would have been no problem.”Mr Forlong’s cheating ­ unlikely to be the worst example ever inflicted on viewers ­ would have gone unnoticed, had the BBC not been on the submarine alongside him, working on a documentary series, Fighting the War, which stumbled across his methods by mistake. The submarine was not beneath the Persian Gulf, it was in dock; and no weapon had been fired. The crew had staged the “launch drill” for the benefit of the Sky News man.