Latest news with #Autonomy
CNA
11 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
Italy salvages superyacht that sank off Sicily killing seven
PORTICELLO, Italy: Salvage workers on Friday (Jun 20) raised a superyacht that sank off Italy during a pre-dawn storm last year, killing UK tech mogul Mike Lynch and six others. The luxury 56m "Bayesian" was struck by a storm on Aug 19 when it was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo in Sicily. It sank within minutes, killing Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others. The yacht, which was hit by something akin to a mini-tornado, was raised from the seabed - some 50m below the surface - on Friday, according to an AFP photographer. TMC Marine, the salvage company overseeing the operation, cut off the yacht's mast before lifting the vessel using a crane barge. The Bayesian had an exceptionally tall mast, measuring 72m. Investigators from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) - a UK government agency - said last month its profile "produced a degree of effective lift" that increased the boat's lean in the wind. When the yacht sank, there were 22 people on board, including 12 crew members and 10 guests. Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy, had invited friends and family onto the boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a huge US fraud case. Italian prosecutors have launched investigations into the captain and two others on suspicion of manslaughter and the crime of negligent shipwreck.
Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- Times
My husband and Mike Lynch were colleagues. They died 42 hours apart
Karen Chamberlain was sitting on a bus on her way to see her dying husband in hospital when she got a text message telling her the Bayesian yacht had sunk. It was August 19 last year and the British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and six others, including his daughter Hannah, 18, had been killed after a freak storm sank the family's luxury vessel off Sicily. Only two days earlier, Karen's husband, Steve, 52, had been hit by a car while out on a 17-mile run. His head injuries were unsurvivable. The timing of the two men's deaths was an extraordinary coincidence. Chamberlain and Lynch had been co-defendants in a US fraud trial over the $11.7 billion (£8.6 billion) sale of the tycoon's software firm Autonomy to Hewlett Packard in 2011. If convicted, Lynch would have faced more than 20 years in an American prison; Chamberlain would have faced a shorter sentence. Both had been acquitted in June. Ten weeks later, they were both struck by freak accidents 1,700 miles apart. Only 42 hours or so separated the two tragedies. In her first newspaper interview, Karen, 55, said: 'If anyone had made a movie about it they'd have gone, 'Well that's the most ridiculous ending', but unfortunately it's what it was, just a horrible, horrible coincidence.' She said: 'I got a text on my phone from a friend that knew the family … they said, 'I'm really sorry to have to tell you but Bayesian has sunk and Hannah and Mike are missing'. I just couldn't believe it. When I got off the bus, I called and said, 'What on earth is going on?' and they said, 'There was a storm and the boat sunk'. 'It was just absolutely horrendous … You're devastated for Steve, you're then devastated for them and everybody else. It's almost just unbelievable. I couldn't process it really.' The Chamberlains, who had one month earlier celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, were friends with Lynch and his wife, Angela Bacares, who survived the disaster, and had been guests on their 'incredible' yacht. Karen had also been on the Bayesian with Bacares on one occasion when Lynch was not allowed to leave the UK as he awaited extradition to the US. The news of Steve Chamberlain's accident had reached Lynch and his guests on the Bayesian. Karen had received condolence messages from Bacares and Judy Bloomer, the wife of Jonathan Bloomer, the former chairman of Autonomy's audit committee, before it sank. The Bloomers both died on the boat. Last week, the inquest took place in Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire, into Chamberlain's death. The coroner ruled it was the result of a road traffic collision. He had been six miles into a run from Ely back to Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, where the family live, when he was hit by a Vauxhall Corsa driven by a woman, 49, who was on her way to go shopping in Newmarket, Suffolk. Chamberlain, who was Lynch's chief financial officer, had been crossing the road between two parts of a bridleway when he was struck by the car, which had just crested a humpback bridge. The car was driving within the 60mph speed limit, the inquest was told. He was thrown 15ft in the air, a witness said. The coroner said: 'In his [the witness's] opinion, the driver wouldn't have seen anything until she was on top of the rise [of the bridge] and wouldn't have had a chance to stop.' The coroner shared the family's concerns that the humpback bridge was an 'irredeemable barrier' to visibility for pedestrians and other road users, and is writing to Cambridgeshire county council about it before deciding whether a report to help prevent future deaths on the road is necessary. Karen wants the 'terrible position' of the footpath crossing moved and the speed limit lowered to 40mph. Chamberlain had not always been a runner. Karen said he had taken up the sport initially to raise money for charity after her father, Stan Tokley, who had Parkinson's and dementia, died in 2019 at the age of 77. Chamberlain realised it helped him deal with the stress of being investigated after he was charged with fraud in the same year that his father-in-law died. Karen said: 'The moment he went out there running he would de-stress. That's when he did the most of his thinking about the trial. It was brilliant. It not only kept him calm but also helped him process stuff.' The running quickly escalated. He ran hundreds of miles, competing in ultra-distance races in Snowdonia, the Peak District and the Lake District and spending hours meticulously planning his routes. Karen said: 'He loved the mountains, trails and just working routes out. Steve would never do anything recklessly ever. He listened to podcasts because that helped him and always wore one earbud — but never wore both — so he could always hear his surrounding area.' On the day of the run, he had, as usual, only taken one earbud. The timing of the two men's deaths was not the only bizarre coincidence, Karen said. The night before, the couple had had a barbecue at home with their daughter, Ella, 24, and her partner who were visiting for the weekend. The subject of death came up. 'We just had a really lovely evening, sat in the garden. It was really warm, just reminiscing, laughing and it was the oddest thing,' Karen recalled. 'Ella said something about inheritance. I can't remember what the comment was and Steve says, 'You'll have a long time to wait for that because I'm not going anywhere soon', and then we got into this conversation about dying.' Karen told the family that her will said she wanted to be buried in woodland but she had changed her mind and now wanted to be cremated. 'Steve then said, 'Actually I'm the same, I don't want to be buried now either, I'll be cremated'. And then I'd said, 'I bet you want some of your ashes scattered on the mountains of Wales'. And he went, 'Yeah that's what I want'.' Some of his ashes will be scattered by his son, Teddy, 21, who is going to take part in the last running race that Chamberlain entered before his death, the Snowdon SkyRace, on June 21. It would have been Chamberlain's 53rd birthday. For Karen, who works in risk management, there is a terrible cruelty to have nearly lost a husband to a prison sentence in America, got him back briefly, only to lose him so soon afterwards. The case had dominated their life for a decade, from the investigation beginning in 2014 to the trial finally ending in June. After he was charged in 2019, Chamberlain was endlessly flying back and forth to the US. They had so much time to catch up on, both as a couple and as a family. 'The first thing he said, especially with the kids, he said, 'Right, we've got to make memories'. We were all going to the Latitude festival [in Suffolk] so we got six tickets [one for each of the family, as well as their children's partners]. We booked a holiday — just me and Steve — to go to Greece. We had lots and lots of plans.' The family will still be going to the Latitude festival next month 'to celebrate him', Karen said. The stress of the three-month trial — and the length and cost of the whole excruciating legal process — put enormous strain on the family. Chamberlain's father, Grenville, 74, who lives 15 minutes away from his daughter-in-law in the Cambridgeshire countryside, described the elation when his son and Lynch were found not guilty. He said: 'After a dozen years of hell, it was an incredible relief.' The couple had only been back together in the UK for less than three months before tragedy struck. On the morning of the accident, he got up early at 7.30am to go running, while she was asleep in bed. 'He left really early. So [my final words] were almost, 'Enjoy your run' kind of thing. You don't expect it to be your last words, do you? It's funny. You try and replay that. Where it's just a normal morning, normal memory, and then if only you'd known that was the last conversation because I was probably still asleep. It was probably just a grunt.' When two police officers came to her house, she initially thought they were coming to discuss their postbox, which had been stolen a few days before. 'I said, 'Are you here because of the postbox?' and they just said, 'No. Are you Mrs Chamberlain, Steve Chamberlain's wife?' Your world falls apart, doesn't it?' Chamberlain's life support machine was switched off in the early hours of August 20 to allow time for the donation of his organs to be organised. His liver and kidneys were donated to three men. 'He'd have donated all his body if he'd had the opportunity. It was lovely. He's managed to save three people.'
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Mike Lynch's friend killed by car while jogging, which he took up ‘to combat fraud trial stress'
A friend of tech billionaire Mike Lynch was run over and killed by a car after taking up running to deal with the stress of a fraud trial in which he was acquitted, an inquest heard. Stephen Chamberlain, 52, was crossing a road between two parts of a bridleway when he was struck by a Vauxhall on Aug 17 last year. He was an associate of Lynch, who died when the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily. Lynch was celebrating his acquittal in the same fraud trail when the ship capsized, killing seven people. It happened just two days after Chamberlain's death. Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy, 71, were the four British victims of the tragedy. His US lawyer Christopher Morvillo, his wife, Neda, and chef Ricardo Thomas also died. Chamberlain sustained a traumatic head injury in the collision on the A1123 near Stretham, Cambridgeshire. The injury was deemed unsurvivable and his life support was withdrawn three days later. Chamberlain was the co-defendant in a US trial alongside Lynch. Both men were cleared of conducting a massive fraud over the sale of software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. His widow, Karen Chamberlain, said that her husband took up running after he was charged with fraud. 'He discovered it helped him mentally stay calm and focus on what was ahead,' said Mrs Chamberlain, in a statement read by lawyer Sally Hobson. She said her husband would 'meticulously spend hours planning his routes' and competed in ultra-distance races. He was safety conscious, she said, and would wear just one earbud, leaving the other ear free. 'That was no exception on the day – his other earbud was left at home,' Mrs Chamberlain said. She said he had been home from the US for two months and was 'making up for lost time, enjoying getting his life back'. On the day of the collision, he had planned to run 17 miles, starting in Ely and ending in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire. He was just over six miles into his run when he was struck. The coroner directed that the female driver of the car should not be named at Tuesday's hearing. The driver said, in a statement summarised by area coroner Caroline Jones, that as she 'approached the bridge she proceeded down the incline' and a man 'suddenly emerged into the road'. She said she saw Mr Chamberlain 'looking to his left away from her and only looked to his right just before the collision'. The driver said she had 'braked hard and steered to the nearside', but 'he was too close' and the front offside of the vehicle collided with him. She said she had been driving within the 60mph speed limit and was on her way to a shop in Newmarket, Suffolk. Grahame Cornwall, a motorcyclist who witnessed the collision, said that Chamberlain was thrown 'approximately 15ft' into the air. 'In his opinion the driver wouldn't have seen anything until she was on top of the rise (of the bridge) and wouldn't have had a chance to stop,' the coroner said. Police forensic collision investigator Pc Ian Masters said it was 'not an ideal crossing point by any stretch of the imagination'. Asked by the coroner if it was his view that it was not an avoidable collision, Pc Masters replied: 'Yes, that's correct.' 'Glue of our family' The coroner recorded a conclusion that Mr Chamberlain died as the result of a road traffic collision. Chamberlain's daughter, Ella, said in a statement to the inquest that her father was the 'perfect role model in every way'. His son, Teddy, said: 'He was the glue of our family, always ready with an answer.' 'The mental and physical strength he showed was beyond anything I could imagine.' In a statement outside the court read by lawyer Elena Abraham, the family said that they 'still have questions unanswered'. 'We will be inviting the police to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration,' the statement said.
ITV News
03-06-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Mike Lynch colleague Stephen Chamberlain hit by car while running, which he took up after fraud case
A businessman who died after being hit by a car while out running had taken up the sport after he was charged with fraud in the US alongside a tech billionaire, an inquest has heard. Stephen Chamberlain, 52, died from a "traumatic head injury" at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge three days after being hit on the A1123 in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2024. He was an associate of tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who died just days beforehand when his superyacht, the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily. Mr Chamberlain was crossing a road between two parts of a bridleway when he was struck by a car that had crested a humpback bridge. In a statement to the inquest, his daughter Ella described her father as the "perfect role model in every way", while his son Teddy said he showed mental and physical strength "beyond anything I could imagine" and he was "so proud to be his son". Mr Chamberlain's widow Karen Chamberlain said in a statement that her husband had taken up running after he was charged with fraud. Mr Chamberlain was the co-defendant in Mr Lynch's US trial, and both were cleared last year of conducting a massive fraud over the sale of software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. HP acquired the Cambridge-based company, which Mr Lynch founded in 1996, for £8.35bn but later wrote down the value by £6.68bn and asked the US justice department to investigate fraud. Mr Chamberlain was a former vice-president of finance at Autonomy and was accused of artificially inflating its revenues and making false and misleading statements to auditors, analysts and regulators in 2018. Both he and Mr Lynch were found not guilty in June 2024 after a trial in San Francisco, California. "He discovered it [running] helped him mentally stay calm and focus on what was ahead," Mrs Chamberlain said in a statement read by a lawyer. Her husband would "meticulously spend hours planning his routes" and competed in ultra-distance races. He was "safety conscious" and only wore one earbud while he ran, which was the case on the day he was hit, she said. She added that on the day of the crash, Mr Chamberlain had planned to run 17 miles, starting in Ely and ending in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, and was just over six miles in when the crash happened. The coroner directed on Tuesday that the female driver of the car should not be named. In a statement summarised by area coroner Caroline Jones, she said that she saw Mr Chamberlain looking to his left, away from her, only looking to his right just before the collision, adding she "braked hard" and steered away but the front offside of the car collided with him. Grahame Cornwall, a motorbike rider who witnessed the collision, said in a statement that Mr Chamberlain was thrown "approximately 15 feet" in the air and added he did not believe the driver would have seen anything until she was on top of the rise of the bridge. PC Ian Masters said it was "not an ideal crossing point by any stretch of the imagination" and said it was his view that the crash was "not an avoidable collision". The coroner concluded Mr Chamberlain died as the result of a road traffic collision, and said she shared the family's concerns that the humpback bridge is an "irredeemable barrier" to visibility for pedestrians and other road users. She said she would write to Cambridgeshire County Council to request more information before deciding whether a report to help prevent future deaths was needed. However, in a statement outside court read by a lawyer, the family said they "still have questions unanswered". They said they will invite the police to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Mike Lynch's co-defendant in US trial was hit and killed by a car when he took up running to stay calm after he was charged with fraud alongside the tech billionaire, inquest hears
The former colleague and co-defendant of tragic tech tycoon Mike Lynch was hit and killed by a car after he took up running to deal with the stress of the US fraud trial they were facing, an inquest heard today. Stephen Chamberlain, 52, was out on a run in August last year when he was struck by a vehicle as it crested a humpback bridge. He died in hospital three days later. The incident occurred just two days before Mr Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among seven people who lost their lives when his £30 million superyacht Bayesian sank suddenly off the coast of Sicily during a storm, sparking speculation about the closeness of the two deaths. During the inquest at Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire, today, Mr Chamberlain's father, Grenville, revealed his son had taken up ultramarathons to help deal with the mental and physical pressure he was under from the imminent US court battle. In a statement, he said: 'In order to keep himself fit for the charges ahead, Steve took up running and committed himself to becoming an ultra long-distance runner. 'He ran hundreds of miles, travelling to Snowdonia and the Lake District so he was able to negotiate areas he was not familiar [with], in order to run 200 miles in all weather conditions.' Mr Chamberlain and Mr Lynch had faced fraud and conspiracy charges over the allegedly inflated valuation that led to the £3.8 billion sale of tech firm Autonomy to US firm Hewlett-Packard in 2012. But both were acquitted of all 15 charges by a San Francisco jury in June last year, allowing them to return home to the UK. Area coroner Caroline Jones today ruled Mr Chamberlain's death was the result of a road traffic collision and said she would be writing to Cambridgeshire County Council about improve safety for pedestrians by the bridge, including signage and speed limits. 'On receipt of their responses, I will determine whether that adequately addresses my concerns or consider it's still necessary to issue a section 28 [Prevention of Future Deaths report],' she added. Ms Jones continued: 'My closing words have to be for Steve's family. I appreciate nothing can bring him back. 'I do hope you can take some small comfort from this part of the process concluding and in time reflect on all the good things…I am so very sorry for your loss.' Mr Chamberlain's wife, Karen - who wants the speed limit at the scene of the accident reduced from 60mph to 40mph - said afterwards that the humped bridge prevents drivers from seeing what is on the other side as they drive over it. 'Having a footpath where it is – at the bottom of the hill with that speed limit – it can happen to someone else,' she said. 'The pain we have gone through, I would not wish that on anyone else. It is hard – every day is painful.' Addressing the speculation about the proximity of two men's deaths, she added: 'It was incredibly hard. 'No one should have to go through that. It's difficult to process. Awful.' Mr Chamberlain's father pointed out they died 'days apart, thousands of miles apart'. Mr Chamberlain's son Teddy asked well-wishers to complete the run he died on as a tribute to his father A family statement revealed three people had benefited from Mr Chamberlain's organs that would 'hopefully change their lives for the better'. It added: 'Having fought successfully for his freedom, he returned from the US jubilant. 'He did so only to have his life cruelly taken from him.' Mr Chamberlain, Autonomy's vice president of finance alongside chief executive Mr Lynch, was around six miles into a run that began in Ely, Cambridgeshire, according to his Strava app, when he was fatally injured on August 17. He was at a spot between Stretham and Wicken when he was hit by the car as he crossed the road between two parts of a bridleway. He was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge with traumatic head injuries but his death was confirmed at 3.50am on August 20. The driver of the blue Vauxhall Corsa that hit Mr Chamberlain on the A1123, a 49-year-old woman from Haddenham, remained at the scene and assisted police with enquiries. Cambridgeshire Police today confirmed no further action would be taken against her. Summarising a statement from the driver, Ms Jones said that as she 'approached the bridge she proceeded down the incline' and a man 'suddenly emerged into the road'. She saw Mr Chamberlain 'looking to his left away from her and only looked to his right just before the collision'. Although she 'braked hard and steered to the nearside', he was 'too close' and the front offside of the vehicle collided with him. She said she had been driving within the 60mph speed limit and had been on her way to a shop in Newmarket, Suffolk with 'no time pressure'. Motorbike rider Grahame Cornwall, who witnessed the collision, said in a statement that Mr Chamberlain was thrown 'approximately 15 feet' up in the air. 'In his opinion the driver wouldn't have seen anything until she was on top of the rise (of the bridge) and wouldn't have had a chance to stop,' the coroner said. 'He said the entire incident must have been a matter of seconds.' Police forensic collision investigator Pc Ian Masters added it was 'not an ideal crossing point by any stretch of the imagination'. Asked by the coroner if it was his view that it was not an avoidable collision, Mr Masters replied: 'Yes, that's correct.' In the days following Mr Chamberlain's death, his family paid tribute to their 'much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend'. They said in a statement: 'He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible. 'He made a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. He will be deeply missed but forever in the hearts of his loved ones.' The businessman's son, Teddy, also asked well-wishers to take part in the run his father never got to complete. In a public post on Strava, he wrote: 'We are planning to complete this run for dad, if any of you would like to pay tribute to him and run it with us I will keep you updated. 'I'm sure we will make a post about the day and time at a later date. He was such an incredible man and the pain we feel is unimaginable.' The family today confirmed 70 people had taken part in the event and Teddy was now becoming an ultra runner himself. After Autonomy, Mr Chamberlain, who was married to Karen, worked as chief operating officer for cybersecurity firm Darktrace and volunteered as a finance director for Cambridge United football club. Work is ongoing on the £30 million salvage operation to raise the Bayesian from 160ft underneath the waves. Photographs taken by a diver last week appeared to discount the claim by shipbuilders that the stern hatch had been left open, allowing water to surge in when a freak storm struck. The ship, famed for its 236ft mast, took just 16 minutes to sink in the early hours after being hit by 100mph winds while at anchor off the fishing village of Porticello. Earlier last month, an interim report by British investigators highlighted 'vulnerabilities' in the yacht's stability which meant its crew were unable to prevent the 184ft luxury sailing boat from tilting violently on its side. The captain and crew would have been unaware, as the information was not laid out in a safety booklet onboard, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said. The vessel claimed an eighth life last month - a Dutch diver working on the salvage operation. The Bayesian was legally owned by Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who survived the disaster. The other victims were banking executive Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo and the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas. Three crew members are currently facing possible charges of manslaughter and causing a disaster under an Italian criminal investigation. However Under Italian law the fact the men - captain James Cutfield, chief engineer Timothy Parker Eaton and deckhand Matthew Griffiths - have been placed under investigation does not imply guilt and does not necessarily mean that charges will be brought against them.
