Leading cybersecurity firm Darktrace said it was in mourning over the death of former executive Stephen Chamberlain on Tuesday as divers were searching for his former patron Mike Lynch and five others who went missing when their luxury yacht capsized in a storm.
Only three months ago Mr Chamberlain and Mr Lynch were acquitted as co-defendants in a US wire fraud case. The former vice president of finance at Mr Lynch's Autonomy, Mr Chamberlain died in a traffic accident in the UK on Saturday.
Mr Chamberlain, 52, was reportedly running when he was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire in the east of England. He died later in hospital.
“We are incredibly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Steve Chamberlain, Darktrace’s former chief operating officer and a substantial contributor to the team in its early years,” the company said. “Steve was much loved by his colleagues and leaves many friends at Darktrace. We extend our deepest condolences to his family who are very much in our thoughts at this challenging time.”
Colleagues and employers of the six still missing after the 56-metre luxury sailing yacht, Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily have sent messages of support and hope.
As well as billionaire tech entrepreneur Mr Lynch, those missing include the non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Christopher Morvillo, a partner with the law firm Clifford Chance.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragedy,” a representative for Morgan Stanley said.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.”
Mr Bloomer, who testified in defence of Mr Lynch during his decade-long legal battle with the IT company Hewlett Packard, was also non-executive chairman of insurance company Hiscox.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hiscox chief executive Aki Hussain said.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”
Mr Morvillo, a partner at the New York office of the global law firm Clifford Chance, was a lead defence attorney in Dr Lynch's federal case.
Between 1999 and 2005, Mr Morvillo was an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York and was involved in the criminal investigation into the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in 2001.
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Divers search for missing passengers after a luxury yacht sank off Sicily, Italy. Reuters -
Rescue personnel on boats on the sea near the scene where the yacht sank, off the coast of Porticello. Reuters -
A survivor leaves the Coast Guard headquarters. Reuters -
The 56-metre-long British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 22 people. EPA -
Fifteen people were rescued and a search operation for those missing, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, CEO of Autonomy Group, is continuing. AFP -
Emergency services carry a body bag after a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday. Reuters -
Emergency and rescue services work near the scene. Reuters -
The last known location of the yacht Bayesian. PA
Fifteen of the Bayesian’s 22 passengers and crew escaped on a life raft before being rescued by a nearby boat. One body has been recovered, identified as the on-board chef, Ricardo Thomas, Italian officials said.
Mr Lynch and a small group of friends, financial advisers and lawyers were on board when the Bayesian was hit by a violent storm and was thought to have been struck by a waterspout in the early hours of Monday.
They had been celebrating Mr Lynch's recent victory in the US where he had been on trail facing wire fraud charges, after having been extradited from the UK last year.
That federal case in California, and a civil one in the UK, focused on the sale of Autonomy to Hewlett Packard in 2011, an $11 billion deal which rapidly turned south and ended with HP accusing Mr Lynch and others of inflating the true value of the company.
Car accident
Mr Chamberlain's family said he was “a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend”.
“He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible,” the family added.
Having left Autonomy in 2012, Mr Chamberlain was also the chief operating officer at Darktrace, another of Mr Lynch's tech ventures.
Mr Chamberlain's US-based lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, described his client as a “courageous man” with “unparalleled integrity”.
“Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running,” he said. “We deeply miss him."
