UK billionaire Mike Lynch's co-defendant confirmed dead after being hit by car just days before Italy yacht tragedy
Mike Lynch's co-defendant has died, his lawyer said
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The co-defendant of Mike Lynch, one of the six missing from the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily, has died after being hit by a car, his lawyer has said.
Stephen Chamberlain had, alongside Lynch, faced charges of fraud and conspiracy in the US for allegedly scheming to inflate the value of their firm Autonomy when it was sold to Hewlett-Packard (HP).
Chamberlain was "fatally struck" by a car in Stretham in Cambridgeshire while out running on Saturday morning, dying after a brief period on life support in hospital.
His lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, described him as a "dear client and friend" and hailed him as "a courageous man with unparalleled integrity", while his family said he was a "much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend".
The two co-defendants have both been involved in tragic circumstances just days apart
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In a statement, Lincenberg added: "We deeply miss him... He fought successfully to clear his good name, which lives on through his wonderful family."
Police said the driver, a 49-year-old woman from Haddenham, had remained at the scene and was helping officers with enquiries.
Both Chamberlain and Lynch had been acquitted of all 15 charges by a jury in San Francisco in June this year - but the latter had ripped into the American justice system in the aftermath of the verdict.
Lynch, 59, had told the BBC he believed he was only able to clear his - and the now-deceased Chamberlain's - name due to his sizeable wealth.
He told the broadcaster just days ago: "You shouldn't need to have funds to protect yourself as a British citizen.
"The reason I'm sitting here, let's be honest, is not only because I was innocent... but because I had enough money not to be swept away by a process that's set up to sweep you away."
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"A US prosecutor has far more control over you than your local bobby in the British system", Lynch said
Reuters
Lynch had faced accusations that he had exaggerated the value of Autonomy by almost $9billion (£6.5billion) when he sold it to HP in 2011, and after seven years of legal fights, US prosecutors laid charges at his door.
He was controversially extradited to the US in 2022 ahead of his - ultimately unsuccessful - trial.
The billionaire, who has been missing for over a day after the yacht on which he was sailing sank following a freak tornado over the Mediterranean, said upon his return: "The British government needs to defend its citizens.
"Is it right to be sending someone to another country, especially one which has the justice system issues of the US?
"A US prosecutor has far more control over you than your local bobby in the British system."
Divers are still scrambling to find the six missing people aboard the Bayesian
Vigili del Fuoco
Rescue teams worked through the night to try and search for survivors
Reuters
Lynch and five others are still missing after Monday morning's "violent storm" struck the yacht, which was moored off Porticello, a small town near Sicilian capital Palermo in the south of Italy.
Local trawler captain Fabio Cefalu told Italian news agency EVN that he had seen lightning flashing across the bay and a "flare in the sea" just after 4am - forcing him to stay in the harbour.
And one of those on board, British tourist Charlotte Golunski, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that passengers were woken by "thunder, lightning and waves that made our boat dance".
Golunski continued: "It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."
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