The co-defendant of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch in a US fraud trial died in a car crash just days before the businessman went missing after the sinking of his yacht off the coast of Sicily.

Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy‘s former vice president of finance, who worked alongside chief executive Mr Lynch, was killed after being hit by a vehicle while out running on Saturday, his lawyer, Gary Lincenberg said.

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

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

“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.”

Mr Chamberlain faced the same charges of fraud and conspiracy as his former boss for allegedly scheming to inflate the company’s value before it was sold.

Mr Lynch negotiated an 11 billion US dollar (£8.64 billion) sale of Autonomy to Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett Packard (HP), which generated a more than 800 million US dollar windfall for him.

But the sale also kicked off a 13-year legal saga. Both the men were acquitted of all 15 charges by a jury in San Francisco in June. They faced more than 20 years in US prison if convicted of the fraud and conspiracy allegations.

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

Another person familiar with the matter had earlier said Mr Chamberlain had been critically injured during a crash in Cambridgeshire.

Cambridgeshire Police did not name Mr Chamberlain, but were appealing for witnesses after a collision between a pedestrian and a car had taken place in Newmarket Road in Stretham.

Officers said a blue Vauxhall Corsa was travelling between Stretham and Wicken on the A1123 when the collision took place at about 10.10am on Saturday.

They added a man in his 50s had been taken to hospital with serious injuries.

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