A former colleague of MISSING British billionaire tycoon Mike Lynch and a co-defendant in his US fraud trial has died in hospital after being hit by a car, it is understood.
Stephen Chamberlain was fatally struck by a vehicle on Saturday morning and died yesterday, just hours before Lynch went missing after the yacht he was sailing on sank on Monday.
14
Stephen Chamberlain died after being hit by a car
14
Chamberlain was involved in a US fraud case that ended this year
14
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch has gone missing after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank in bad weather off the coast of SicilyCredit: PA
14
Italian firefighters transport a body bag amid the searchCredit: Reuters
14
‘Bayes’ sailboat, in Palermo, SicilyCredit: EPA
14
Chamberlain was taken to hospital following the incident in Cambridgeshire.
But it is known that he was taken off life support on Sunday.
A source told The Telegraph: “Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally hit by a car on Saturday while fleeing.
“He was a courageous man of unparalleled integrity and we miss him deeply. He fought successfully to clear his good name, which lives on through his wonderful family.”
Chamberlain, Autonomy’s former vice president of finance, faced the same US fraud and conspiracy charges as his former boss Lynch for allegedly plotting to inflate the company’s value before it was sold.
Both were acquitted of all charges by a jury in San Francisco in June.
After leaving Autonomy in 2012, Chamberlain worked for cyber security firm Darktrace and volunteered as CFO for Cambridge United Football Club.
YACHT DISASTER
The luxury yacht Bayesian was caught in a strange eddy off the coast of Sicily at around 4am on Monday.
Most of the 12 passengers and 10 crew members were in their cabins.
Six people are still missing, including Lynch and his daughter Hannah, 18, as well as friend and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer.
Tech tycoon dubbed ‘Britain’s Bill Gates’ Mike Lynch among 4 Britons missing after Bayes’ £14m yacht sinks off Sicily
Lynch, 59, was on board the £14m boat along with guests from his law firm and his company Invoke Capital to celebrate a US jury acquitting him of fraud.
He spent a year under house arrest in the United States and recently spoke of his fear of dying in prison if convicted.
Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, 57, survived the tragedy but was seen in a wheelchair on Monday night after suffering horrific injuries to both feet, believed to have been caused by broken glass.
She reportedly told doctors they were woken up at 4am by the 180ft ship lurching sharply before a scene of “confusion as the glass shattered” and “everything sliding away”.
The yacht was anchored outside the port in Porticello near the Sicilian capital Palermo.
Witnesses say strong winds broke the 246-foot sail mast — the second tallest in the world — throwing the vessel off balance and causing it to capsize.
The captain of a nearby Dutch ship, Sir Robert BP, said he helped pull survivors from the water — including three seriously injured — before the coastguard arrived on the scene.
Karsten Borner said the Bayesian “went straight on the water and then down”, adding: “There was a light and we saw that the ship was on the side and then we saw a triangle. So I think she came back.”
Local fishermen have also raised the alarm to the port authorities.
Pietro Asciutto told reporters he watched the ship capsize, adding: “I was at home when the tornado hit.
“I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw a boat, it had only one mast, it was very big. I saw it sink suddenly.
Who is Mike Lynch?
By Georgie English
Businessman Mike Lynch is believed to have been missing for hours after his £14 million luxury yacht capsized in a tornado off the coast of Sicily.
The tech tycoon, dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”, was one of 22 people sailing on the £166,000-a-week ship, the Telegraph reported this afternoon.
Lynch, 59, sold Autonomy Corporation – a technology company for $11 billion to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
He was also involved with Invoke Capital and cyber security firm Darktrace.
He was awarded an OBE for services to business in 2006.
Born in Ilford, Lynch had a fireman father from County Cork and a nurse mother from County Tipperary.
Away from work, Mike is married to his wife Angela Bacares and the couple has two children.
In 2023, the Sunday Times Rich List put the couple’s worth at £852 million.
Just weeks ago, Lynch was acquitted by a San Francisco jury after a 12-year legal battle over the sale of his company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11 billion.
He was extradited to the US on fraud charges as early as 2023, and a judge set his bail at £79m.
US marshals took Lynch into custody at Heathrow, put him in chains and put him on a United Airlines flight.
It did have a few things going for it, though.
The nature of the case led to a tedious and drawn-out trial, including painstaking parades of jargon-filled emails, reports and spreadsheets, leaving jurors glassy-eyed.
One was even fired for repeatedly falling asleep.
Lynch argued that any questionable activity was completely irrelevant in the context of a successful business bringing in hundreds of millions a year.
While his lawyers argued that the books had been approved by external accountants and that, by British standards, the transactions in question had been properly accounted for.
Lynch was used as the last witness and instead of going “right for the throat,” as his lead attorney Brian Heberlig put it, prosecutors simply “went through the chronology of the documents, no probing questions.” The jury agreed.
“Shortly after I came down to see better what was going on. The boat was still floating, and then suddenly it disappeared. I saw it sink with my own eyes.”
He remained at the scene for three hours, but saw no sign of survivors.
Those missing are feared to be trapped in their cabins as the yacht was hit by strong winds and rain overnight.
Helicopters, boats and firefighters continued the search for the missing last night.
It is assumed that the body of the man found next to the wreck is Canadian Ricardo Thomas, who was a cook on the yacht.
Four Britons and two Americans remain missing.
French captain Matthew Griffith was among 15 people rescued.
The tragedy comes two months after father-of-two Lynch, born in Ilford, east London, was found not guilty of 16 counts of internet fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy after a trial in San Francisco.
He was extradited to the US in 2023 for the £8.5 billion sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
He was accused of inflating the company’s value.
Lynch, compared to Microsoft magnate Bill Gates, faced 20 years in prison and said he feared he would die behind bars if convicted.
After receiving approval, he insisted: “It’s bizarre, but now you have a second life. The question is what do you want to do with it?”
One of the survivors of the tragedy is Ayla Ronald, 36, a senior associate at the law firm Clifford Chance, who was part of Mr. Lynch’s legal team.
She and her partner Matthew Fletcher, who was also on board, are believed to have sunk unharmed.
Her father Lin Ronald, who works in yacht sales in Christchurch, New Zealand, told The Sun: “Ayla texted me a few hours ago to say she was alive and well, as was her partner Matthew.
“Mike Lynch invited her on a sailing trip to celebrate winning his recent court case in the United States.
“It was supposed to be some kind of celebratory cruise. I believe they only sailed for a few days.”
14
Most of the passengers were asleep in their cabins when the storm hitCredit: EPA
14
Lynch with wife Angela Bacares Credit: © Desmond O’Neill Features:-+44(0)7092 235465
14
Italian police patrol the port as the search continuesCredit: AFP
Yacht company Camper & Nicholsons, which manages operations on the Bayesian, said there were a total of 12 guests and 10 crew members.
Most of the passengers are believed to be from the United Kingdom.
Citizens of New Zealand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Canada, the USA and two British-French nationalities were also on the plane.
Eight of those rescued were being treated in hospital last night, according to the Italian coast guard. No one is believed to be in a serious condition.
Among the injured are Ms. Ronald, a lawyer; Sasha Murray, 29, from Ireland; James Catfield (51) from New Zealand and Myin Kyaw Htun (39) from Myanmar.
Divers are believed to have reached the hull of the yacht, which is 160 feet underwater and about half a mile from shore.
An eyewitness, who said there had been a party on the yacht earlier, told the website: “The vessel was not far from the port.
“It didn’t take much to raise the anchor and head towards the port.
“Apparently they were surprised by the sudden storm and could not avoid sinking.”
The British-flagged yacht was previously called Salute. Italian prosecutors have confirmed that they have opened an investigation into the sinking.
The public prosecutor’s office in Termina Imerese also opened a file on the tragedy.
Staff working for Mr Lynch declined to comment at his Georgian mansion in Pettistree, near Woodbridge, Suffolk.
The tycoon and his wife are believed to have lived at Loudham Hall for the past 15 years.
On Monday, the gate at the top of the long driveway to the 16th-century estate remained closed as details of the yachting tragedy emerged.
A member of staff said on the intercom: “I’m afraid we can’t comment at this time.”
14
The search continues Credits: Rex
14
Glass was said to have shattered all over the yacht during the chaosCredit: RAI
14
Emergency and rescue services are working near the sceneCredit: Reuters
14
The ship was anchored near PalermoCredit: Getty
14
Lynch arrives in federal court in San Francisco, California in MarchCredit: Getty
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education