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20th August 2024
10:41am BST
The co-defendant of a British-Irish billionaire currently missing in Italy has died after being hit by a car.
Stephen Chamberlain, 52, was the co-defendant of tech tycoon Mike Lynch in a US trial in which both men faced charges of fraud and conspiracy.
This was in relation to the $11bn (£7bn) sale of the software giant Autonomy - of which Chamberlain was the former vice-president of finance - to Hewlett-Packard.
Lynch and his daughter are currently missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday.
On Saturday, Chamberlain was struck by a vehicle while out on a run in Cambridgeshire.
He died in hospital after the crash on the A1123 at Stretham in Cambridgeshire at about 10:10am on Saturday morning.
His family confirmed the news in a statement, in which they paid tribute to the "much loved husband, father, son, brother and friend".
They continued: "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."
Chamberlain and Lynch were co-defendants in a fraud trial over the $11bn sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
The pair faced the same charges of fraud and conspiracy for allegedly scheming to inflate the company’s value before it was sold.
They were both acquitted of all charges by a jury in San Francisco in June.
Chamberlain's lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, said his client was a "courageous man with unparalleled integrity," the BBC reports.
He added: "Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family."
Search efforts resumed on Tuesday for the six tourists missing from the Bayesian yacht, which was hit during intense storms in the early hours of Monday.
Along with Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, the missing includes Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo.
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