UK tycoon Mike Lynch drowned in Bayesian superyacht sinking: inquest

Mike Lynch, the billionaire founder of software firm Autonomy, was one of seven people who died when the superyacht sank off Porticello, Sicily. Photo / Bloomberg via Getty Images

British tech mogul Mike Lynch drowned when his superyacht Bayesian sank in Sicily, while the deaths of three other British passengers remain under investigation, a UK inquest heard Friday.

Lynch, the billionaire founder of software firm Autonomy, was one of seven people who died when the superyacht sank off Porticello, Sicily, in August.

New Zealander James Cutfield, the 51-year-old captain of the Bayesian, is under investigation by Italian authorities for manslaughter and shipwreck, along with two other crew members.

Inquests into the deaths of Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife Judy Bloomer, 71, opened at Suffolk Coroner’s Court in Ipswich on Friday.

Detective Superintendent Mike Brown of Suffolk Police said Lynch’s cause of death was given as drowning following a post-mortem examination, while further tests were needed to establish the causes of death of the three other Britons.

The British-flagged superyacht “for reasons yet to be ascertained, sank rapidly” in the early hours of the morning on August 19, Brown told the hearing.

“An investigation has been started by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to understand how and why the Bayesian sank,” Brown said. The investigation branch is a British government organisation that investigates maritime accidents involving British ships around the world.

“And Italian authorities have also started their own independent criminal investigations,” he added.

There were 22 passengers on board, including 12 crew and 10 guests, when the 56m yacht sank.

Mike Lynch died when the superyacht Bayesian, sank off Porticello, Sicily, in August. Photo / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef, was recovered shortly after the ship sank. Six other bodies were recovered by divers in the following days.

Christopher Morvillo, a lawyer who defended Lynch, was among those who died, along with his wife Neda Morvillo.

The boat trip was a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal in a US trial in June over allegations of fraud in which he had faced a long prison term.

Angela Bacares, Mike Lynch’s wife and Hannah’s mother, was among 15 survivors.

The inquests were adjourned until April 15, 2025.