Mike Lynch’s co-defendant died from head injury after being hit by car days before yacht sinking

Mike Lynch’s co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain died in hospital three days after being hit by a car on a country road, an inquest heard.

The 52-year-old, from Longstanton in south Cambridgeshire, was struck by a blue Vauxhall Corsa travelling between Stretham and Wicken on the A1123 at about 10.10am on 17 August.

Mr Chamberlain, a former vice president of finance at Mike Lynch’s software firm Autonomy, had been out running at the time, his lawyer Gary Lincenberg said.

Coroner Caroline Jones told the inquest in Alconbury that his medical cause of death was recorded as “traumatic head injury”.

She said: “A vehicle travelling between Stretham and Wicken on the A1123 crested a humpback bridge and was presented with a runner crossing the road from the nearside to the offside between two parts of a bridleway.”

She said the car struck Mr Chamberlain, causing him “significant injuries”.

Cambridgeshire Police said the collision happened on 17 August, and an activity uploaded to the fitness app Strava indicated that Mr Chamberlain was around six miles into his run having set out from the cathedral city of Ely earlier that morning.

Miss Jones said Mr Chamberlain was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and his death was formally confirmed at 3.50am on 20 August.

Police said the driver of the car, a 49-year-old woman from Haddenham, remained at the scene by the Great River Ouse and was assisting with police enquiries.

Miss Jones added: “Police investigations remain ongoing, therefore, no further date has been fixed for these proceedings to resume.

“I adjourn today’s hearing to a date to be fixed at the end of police investigations and any possible prosecutions. I extend my condolences to the family of Stephen Chamberlain.”

Mr Chamberlain had been cleared of the same charges of fraud and conspiracy as his former boss Mr Lynch, after they were accused of scheming to inflate the company’s value before it was sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11bn (£8.6bn).

Just 43 hours after the road crash, Mr Lynch’s boat the Bayesian sank within minutes in a violent storm off the coast of Sicily, which killed seven people including his teenage daughter Hannah.

Mr Chamberlain’s inquest was opened on Thursday by coroner Caroline Jones at New Shire Hall, Alconbury, but was adjourned to a date not yet fixed.

Mr Chamberlain’s family issued an emotional tribute following his death, saying: “Steve 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. He made a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Paying tribute, his lawyer Mr Lincenberg said: “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.”

Sushovan Hussain, a former chief financial officer of Autonomy, said: “Steve was by my side for many years, and I had the honour of calling him, Jonathan, Judy and Chris my good friends.

“It is truly impossible to fathom how they can all be gone over such a short period. It is tragic beyond words.”

Poppy Gustafsson, the chief executive of cybersecurity company Darktrace, added: “At a time when both Mike and Steve were so recently acquitted, it feels too cruel.

“But also, such a relief to know that they died with the world knowing their innocence.”

The inquest comes as it was reported four of the victims of the Bayesian yacht disaster died after oxygen ran out in an air bubble on the sunken boat.

Autopsies over the past few days on four of those who died have revealed an absence of water in their lungs, suggesting they suffocated as the air became saturated with carbon dioxide, Italian publication La Repubblica said.

The outlet reported post-mortems showed four people died from “atypical drowning”, with “no water in their lungs, trachea and stomach”. There were no signs of external injuries.