A co-defendant of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch died in England after being hit by a car just days before Lynch and five others went missing when a luxury superyacht sank off the coast of Italy on Monday, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Stephen Chamberlain, 52, was a former Autonomy Corp. executive who was acquitted along with Lynch in June of charges in a multibillion-dollar fraud case related to Hewlett Packard's $11 billion acquisition of Lynch's company.
Chamberlain “was fatally hit by a car on Saturday while jogging” in Cambridgeshire, his lawyer Gary Lincenberg said in a statement.
“He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We miss him deeply,” Lincenberg said. “Steve successfully fought to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family.”
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Stephen Chamberlain has been confirmed dead when a car hit him while he was jogging on Saturday. (Stephen Chamberlain via Reuters)
Chamberlain, the company's former vice president of finance, was accused of artificially inflating Autonomy's revenue and making false and misleading statements to auditors, analysts and regulators.
Chamberlain's family issued a statement through Cambridgeshire Police, saying he was “a much loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.”
“He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible,” the statement said.
Chamberlain was acquitted of fraud charges along with British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, pictured above. (Reuters/Henry Nicholls/File photo)
Police said the driver, a 49-year-old woman, remained at the scene of the incident in the town of Stretham, England, and was assisting with the investigation.
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The eerie coincidence of Chamberlain's death occurred just days before Lynch and five others — including Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch's lawyers who defended him in the fraud case, and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, who testified in Lynch's defense — disappeared when the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday.
The other three people believed to be missing are Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, Bloomer's wife, Neda, and Morvillo's wife, Judy.
On Wednesday, divers found two bodies inside the superyacht, sources familiar with the rescue operations told NBC News. It was not clear whose bodies they were.
Recaldo Thomas, a chef who died in the yacht disaster off the coast of Sicily, poses for a selfie in this image obtained from social media. (Recaldo Thomas/via Reuters)
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Ten crew members and twelve passengers, including British, American and Canadian citizens, were on board at the time of the sinking. The body of one man, identified as the chef on board, Recaldo Thomas, an Antiguan citizen, was recovered. Fifteen people were rescued, including a one-year-old girl, authorities said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
