‘British Bill Gates’ goes missing on sunken yacht just days after co-defendant in US fraud trial is ‘fatally struck’ by car

Following news the 'British Bill Gates' is missing after a superyacht sank in Italy, it's been revealed his former co-defendant in a fraud trial was fatally stuck by a car just days before.

Italian superyacht the Bayesian sank during a violent storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning, which saw a tornado rip through the vessel.

One person has been confirmed dead and another six are missing, including Mike Lynch - who in June was cleared by a US jury of all charges in a high-profile fraud case in relation to the sale of his software company.

Mike Lynch, who has been dubbed the 'British Bill Gates', is missing after his superyacht sunk off the coast of Italy. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

The 59-year-old was cleared of 15 counts of fraud which he faced after Silicon Valley giant Hewlett-Packard purchased his company Autonomy for $11.1 billion in 2011.

The charges brought against him were those of fraud and conspiracy - with the Californian company claiming he had schemed to inflate the company’s value before it was sold.

Despite being dubbed the 'British Bill Gates', Lynch was actually born in Ireland before moving to the UK.

Among those missing alongside the entrepreneur is his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, as well as two Americans and a Canadian.

The superyacht was resting off the coast of Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, which is located just of the 'toe' of the Italian boot - which the country looks like on a map.

The 183ft vessel was capsized by a tornado on Monday (19 August) at 5am local time.

It comes just days after his co-defendant in the US fraud trial, and vice-president of finance at Autonomy while they both worked there, Stephen Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car.

The 52-year-old was out running when he was knocked down.

His lawyer Gary Lincenberg said per the Guardian: “He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity, and we deeply miss him. He fought successfully to clear his good name, which lives on through his wonderful family.”

Stephen Chamberlain has died after he was struck by a car in the UK while out running. (LinkedIn/Stephen Chamberlain)

Cambridgeshire police issued an appeal for witnesses who may have seen the collision, which took place in the small village of Stretham, to step forward.

He and Lynch were both acquitted of the charges against them by a jury, at a court held in San Francisco in June.

Speaking about the ruling last month, Lynch told the Sunday Times: “If this had gone the wrong way, it would have been the end of life as I have known it in any sense.”

After departing the company back in 2012, Chamberlain worked voluntarily at soccer club Cambridge United - who play in the third division of English football.

He also worked as chief operating officer for cybersecurity firm Darktrace.