The co-defendant of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch in a US fraud trial died in a car crash days before the businessman went missing after the sinking of his yacht off the coast of Sicily. Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy's former vice president of finance alongside chief executive Mr Lynch, was killed after being hit by a vehcile while out running on Saturday, his lawyer, Gary Lincenberg said. Less than 48 hours later, Mr Lynch was among six tourists who went missing after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily early on Monday.
In a statement, Mr Lincenberg said: “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.
Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family. Mr Chamberlain faced the same charges of fraud and conspiracy as his former boss for allegedly scheming to inflate the company’s value before it was sold. Both the men were acquitted of all 15 charges by a jury in San Francisco in June.
After leaving Autonomy in 2012, Chamberlain worked as chief operating officer for cybersecurity firm Darktrace and volunteered as a finance director for Cambridge United soccer club, according to his LinkedIn profile. Another person familiar with the matter had earlier said Mr Chamberlain had been critically injured during a crash in Cambridgeshire. Cam.