Family demand answers over death of billionaire Mike Lynch’s co-defendant who was hit by car while out running days before tycoon died in yacht tragedy

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Published: 14:17, 21 March 2025 | Updated: 14:30, 21 March 2025

The family of Billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch's co-defendant in a US fraud trial have demanded answers from police over their 'incomplete' probe into his death in a car accident.

Stephen Chamberlain, 52, died from traumatic head injuries three days after he was hit by a car while out for a run.

He was crossing the road when he was struck by the vehicle as it crested a humpback railway bridge on August 17 last year, an inquest heard.

Mr Chamberlain's death came just days before tech tycoon Mr Lynch died after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

The pair were cleared last year of conducting a massive fraud over the sale of software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

But Mr Chamberlain's family say the police have questions to answer over the investigation into his death, including the lack of details about exactly what happened just prior to the collision.

Lawyers representing Mr Chamberlain's family told a pre-inquest review at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Coroner's Court that key information was missing from the police's collision investigation report.

The family of Stephen Chamberlain, pictured here with his wife Karen, have asked a coroner probing his death to urge police to provide more details from their 'incomplete' investigation

Sally Hobson, representing Mr Chamberlain's family, said: 'What we are saying is that the report that has been provided by the police is incomplete.

'I make it very clear, that we are not for one moment involved in this inquest with a view to it being a blame game.

'It is simply so that the family can be aware of the full details of what took place prior to the collision and in the immediate aftermath before Mr Chamberlain was taken to the hospital.

'It is our submission that the police report is incomplete because it has not included full details of what was said at the scene either by the driver of the vehicle or by others.

'Neither does it properly address driver responsibilities.

By way of contrast the report sets out the responsibilities of a pedestrian on the road, however, it does not address in any detail at all the responsibilities of a driver.'

The barrister urged the coroner to order an independent report to 'look fully at the issues we have set out'.

Mr Chamberlain died from a 'traumatic head injury' after being hit by a car while crossing the road

The 52-year-old father was cleared last year of being involved in fraud alongside billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch

Mr Chamberlain's son Teddy asked well-wishers to complete the run he died on as a tribute to his father

Mr Chamberlain died from a 'traumatic head injury' following the incident on the A1123 in Cambridgeshire.

A previous hearing heard that Mr Chamberlain, who was known as Steve, collided with a car travelling between Stretham and Wicken.

The vehicle crested a humpback bridge and struck him as he crossed the road between two parts of a bridleway.

Data taken from Mr Chamberlain's fitness app Strava indicated he was around six miles into his run having set out from Ely earlier that morning.

He was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge but died three days later.

The driver of the car, a 49-year-old woman from Haddenham, remained at the scene and was assisting with inquiries, police said at the time.

Area Coroner Caroline Jones said she would be directing the police to produce further information but would not be ordering an independent report.

'The former Lord Chief Justice was very clear this should not be seen as a surrogate public inquiry,' she said.

'As much as I would love to have the time and resources to thoroughly investigate each and every case that comes before the court, we simply have to be proportionate in the evidence we gather in cases so that we may answer those statutory questions.

'I note that the officers involved in the collision investigation have outlined what additional information they have obtained.

'They might also be able to assuage some of the family concerns.'

Entrepreneur Mr Lynch died in a boating tragedy a matter of days after the death of fraud trial co-defendant Mr Chamberlain

The Bayesian was anchored off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, when it sank on August 19 last year

Ms Jones said the full inquest into Mr Chamberlain's death would also hear evidence of his routine and preparation before going out for a run.

'So we do hear directly from the family, if possible, as to the events leading up to what they know about the morning of the collision,' the coroner said.

'The primary evidence will be around the collision itself, looking at the road layout, the conditions and what could be established about that, the speed and manner of driving of the vehicle involved, the visibility and topography of the area.'

The coroner adjourned the hearing for a full inquest to take place later this year.

Tech tycoon Mr Lynch died after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily in August last year.

Mr Chamberlain was the co-defendant in his US trial and, alongside Mr Lynch, was cleared last year of conducting a massive fraud over the sale of software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

HP acquired Cambridge-based Autonomy, founded by Mr Lynch in 1996, for 11 billion dollars (GBP8.35 billion), but later wrote down its value by 8.8 billion dollars (GBP6.68 billion) and asked the US justice department to investigate fraud.

Mr Chamberlain, a former vice-president of finance at the company, was accused of artificially inflating Autonomy's revenues and making false and misleading statements to auditors, analysts and regulators in 2018.

Both he and Mr Lynch were found not guilty of the charge in June last year following a trial at a federal court in San Francisco, California.