Stephen Chamberlain, a former co-defendant of missing British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, has died after being struck by a car in Cambridgeshire, just days before a yacht carrying Lynch sank off the Sicilian coast.
Chamberlain, 52, was a former VP of finance at Autonomy, Lynch's former company. He was hit by a car while out running on Saturday, according to his lawyer, Gary Lincenberg. The incident occurred just two days before the luxury yacht carrying Lynch, 59, and five others capsized in a sudden storm off the coast of Sicily early Monday morning.
Both Lynch and Chamberlain were acquitted of fraud charges in San Francisco in June, following a trial related to the 2011 sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $11 billion. Prosecutors had alleged that the pair had conspired to inflate Autonomy's revenue figures before the sale to HP. Chamberlain faced the same 15 charges â one count of conspiracy and 14 counts of wire fraud â as Lynch.
âHe was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We deeply miss him. Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family,â Lincenberg said in a statement.
Cambridgeshire Police had earlier appealed for witnesses to a collision between a man and a car in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, on Saturday morning. While not naming Chamberlain, police stated that a man in his 50s from Longstanton had been hit by a car and taken to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the car, a 49-year-old woman, is assisting police with their enquiries.
The tragic news of Chamberlain's death comes amidst ongoing searches for Lynch and the other missing individuals following the yacht sinking. The incident has cast a dark shadow over both men's recent acquittals and raised further questions about the fate of the missing tycoon.