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.
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