Lynch’s co-defendant killed in car crash before yacht tragedy in Sicily

Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy, was struck and killed by a car while jogging on Saturday, just days before his co-defendant, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, went missing after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

As The Independent reports, Chamberlain’s lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, confirmed his death, stating, "Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running. He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We deeply miss him."

Lynch, who was Autonomy's CEO, was one of six people who disappeared after a luxury yacht was caught in a tornado and sank early Monday off the coast of Sicily.

Chamberlain and Lynch were both recently acquitted of 15 charges, including fraud and conspiracy, related to the sale of Autonomy to Hewlett Packard (HP) for $11 billion in 2011. The sale led to a 13-year legal battle, but a San Francisco jury cleared them of all charges in June. Both men had faced more than 20 years in prison if convicted.

Chamberlain had since served as the chief operating officer for cybersecurity firm Darktrace and volunteered as finance director for Cambridge United soccer club.

Cambridgeshire Police, while not naming Chamberlain, have appealed for witnesses to a collision between a pedestrian and a blue Vauxhall Corsa that occurred around 10:10 a.m. on Saturday on Newmarket Road in Stretham.

[Information sourced from The Independence]