British technology magnate Mike Lynch’s co-defendant in a US fraud trial died in a car crash, days before the businessman disappeared after his yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy’s former vice president of finance along with CEO Lynch, was hit by a car while running on Saturday, said his lawyer Gary Lincenberg.

Less than 48 hours later, Mr Lynch was among six tourists missing after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily early Monday.

In a statement, Mr Lincenberg said: “Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car while jogging on Saturday.

“He was a courageous man of unparalleled integrity. We miss him deeply. Steve successfully fought to clear his good name in court earlier this year and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family.

Mr Chamberlain faced the same fraud and conspiracy charges as his former boss, and was accused of inflating the value of the company before it was sold.

Both men were acquitted of all 15 charges by a jury in San Francisco in June.

After leaving Autonomy in 2012, Chamberlain worked as chief operating officer for cybersecurity company Darktrace and volunteered as finance director for Cambridge United soccer club, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Another person familiar with the matter had previously said Mr Chamberlain was seriously injured in an accident in Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire Police said a collision between a pedestrian and a car occurred on Newmarket Road in Stretham, Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning. A man in his 50s was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

You can find current information about the sunken yacht in our live blog from Click here.

Mr Lynch negotiated the $11 billion (£8.64 billion) sale of Autonomy to Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett Packard (HP), giving him a windfall of more than $800 million.

But the sale also marked the beginning of a 13-year legal saga. Both men were acquitted of all 15 charges by a jury in San Francisco in June. If convicted of the fraud and conspiracy charges, they faced more than 20 years in prison.

After leaving Autonomy in 2012, Chamberlain worked as chief operating officer for cybersecurity company Darktrace and volunteered as finance director for Cambridge United soccer club, according to his LinkedIn profile.

More to come…