Missing yacht owner Mike Lynch’s co-defendant died in a car crash two days before Lynch’s disappearance

Stephen Chamberlain, missing tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s co-defendant in a U.S. fraud trial, died just days ago as a result of a road accident. 

Mike Lynch, owner of the superyacht Bayesian, is one of six passengers aboard the luxury yacht that capsized after a tornado struck the vessel in the early hours of yesterday morning. Lynch’s co-defendant in his U.S. fraud was involved in a fatal road accident just two days before the tycoon went missing. Chamberlain was tragically hit by a car while out running over the weekend in Cambridgeshire.

Mike Lynch and Stephen Chamberlain: Sued by Hewlett Packard for Fraud

Lynch and Chamberlain faced charges of fraud and conspiracy for allegedly plotting to inflate the value of Lynch’s company Autonomy before they sold it to Hewlett Packard in 2011. 59-year-old Lynch, alongside Chamberlain, sold the software firm for $11.7billion (€10.6bn). However, the pair soon found themselves facing conspiracy and fraud charges in the U.S., with Hewlett Packard claiming the value of the company was severely overvalued.

Lynch Returned to the UK in June

The tech tycoon, dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates” only returned to the UK in June after spending 13 months on house arrest in California. It was claimed that Lynch and Chamberlain had overcharged Hewlett Packard by $5 billion (€4.5bn). Lynch spent 12 years fighting extradition before he finally flew to the States to face charges and await trial in May 2023.  

Both men would have faced up to 25 years in prison if they had been found guilty. The two tragic incidents are even more poignant given the context that the pair were celebrating their long-fought-for legal victory and freedom.

The Search Continues to Locate Lynch and Five More Passengers

Search and rescue teams are still attempting to reach the yacht in the hope that the missing passengers could still be alive in air pockets. Coast guards believe the six people must still be inside the boat as a tireless search for the missing six has so far yielded no results.