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They were a group brought together by one goal: to defy the odds and win Mike Lynch’s case.

The protracted legal battle started when Hewlett-Packard, the technology company, accused Mr Lynch of fraud by overstating the value of his company Autonomy when he sold it to them in 2011.

The trial saw Mr Lynch, 59, extradited to America to serve a year under house arrest in San Francisco.

Less than 0.5% of federal criminal cases in the United States end in acquittal.

Crew survivor ‘spared by grace of God’ – latest updates after yacht sinks

Had Mr Lynch been convicted, he would have faced up to 25 years in prison. So the jury’s decision to clear him of all charges in June came as a surprise, one he later said gave him a “second life”.

Chris Morvillo, the partner at the law firm Clifford Chance was part of Mr Lynch’s legal team.

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Moments before superyacht capsizes

He recounted the day the verdict came in with David Markus, an American lawyer, on his podcast a week before the Sicily trip.

“At least our side of the courtroom erupted, it was this electric moment, I’ve never seen anything like it in a courtroom before,” he said.

Pic: Patrick McMullan/Getty

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Meda Morvillo and Chris Morvillo attend Summer Birthday Cocktails For Lawrence Kaplan at Tower 270 - Rooftop on June 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Meda Morvillo; Chris Morvillo
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Neda and Chris Morvillo were said to have been looking forward to the holiday. Pic: Patrick McMullan/Getty


Mr Markus said Mr Morvillo had been looking forward to enjoying the team’s success with a holiday to Sicily. His wife, Neda, and some of the team who had contributed to the win would be attending.

“He couldn’t wait to celebrate, take a deep breath with both Mr Lynch and his family, he was so excited about this trip and rightfully so – he’d spent his life fighting this case the last 10 years,” Mr Markus said.

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Lynch ‘lost 12 years’ fighting case

But what was supposed to be a celebration brought fresh tragedy. After a tornado capsized Mr Lynch’s superyacht, one man died and six passengers including Mr Lynch, his daughter, Mr Morvillo and his wife went missing.

Fifteen were rescued.

More from Sky News:
Body of superyacht chef recovered
Mike Lynch’s co-founder hopes for ‘miracle’ – video

Jonathan Bloomer is the chairman of Morgan Stanley Pic: Hiscox/ Linkedin
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Jonathan Bloomer is chairman of Morgan Stanley International. Pic: Hiscox/ Linkedin

A key defence witness in Mr Lynch’s trial, Jonathan Bloomer, is among those missing at sea.

The chairman of investment bank, Morgan Stanley International, was on the yacht with his wife, Judy.

Days before the tragedy unfolded in Sicily, Mr Lynch’s co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain was also killed.

Chamberlain, a former vice president of finance at Autonomy, had been out running in the UK when he was hit by a car.

Stephen Chamberlain
Pic: Cambridgeshire Police/PA
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Stephen Chamberlain died after being hit by a car – a separate incident from the yacht sinking. Pic: Cambridgeshire Police

The driver of the car is assisting the police with their inquiries, according to Cambridgeshire Police, who are investigating the incident.

The storm may have now passed, leaving behind heartache and questions for loved ones.

But for the group brought together by a common endeavour, the search continues.

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UK on ‘slippery slope’ to ‘death on demand’, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns ahead of assisted dying vote

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UK on 'slippery slope' to 'death on demand', Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns ahead of assisted dying vote

The UK is on a “slippery slope towards death on demand”, according to the justice secretary ahead of a historic Commons vote on assisted dying.

In a letter to her constituents, Shabana Mahmood said she was “profoundly concerned” about the legislation.

“Sadly, recent scandals – such as Hillsborough, infected blood and the Post Office Horizon – have reminded us that the state and those acting on its behalf are not always benign,” she wrote.

“I have always held the view that, for this reason, the state should serve a clear role. It should protect and preserve life, not take it away.

“The state should never offer death as a service.”

Analysis: Justice secretary’s intervention is potentially embarrassing for the PM

On 29 November, MPs will be asked to consider whether to legalise assisted dying, through Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

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Minister ‘leans’ to assisted dying bill

Details of the legislation were published last week, including confirmation the medicine that will end a patient’s life will need to be self-administered and people must be terminally ill and expected to die within six months.

Ms Mahmood, however, said “predictions about life expectancy are often inaccurate”.

“Doctors can only predict a date of death, with any real certainty, in the final days of life,” she said. “The judgment as to who can and cannot be considered for assisted suicide will therefore be subjective and imprecise.”

Read more: Gordon Brown says assisted dying should not be legalised

Under the Labour MP’s proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.

The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.

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Details of end of life bill released

Read more: Where does the cabinet stand on assisted dying?

However, Ms Mahmood said she was concerned the legislation could “pressure” some into ending their lives.

“It cannot be overstated what a profound shift in our culture assisted suicide will herald,” she wrote.

“In my view, the greatest risk of all is the pressure the elderly, vulnerable, sick or disabled may place upon themselves.”

Kim Leadbeater waits to present the Assisted Dying Bill. File pic: House of Commons/Reuters
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Kim Leadbeater waits to present the Assisted Dying Bill. File pic: House of Commons/Reuters

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who put forward the bill, said some of the points Ms Mahmood raised have been answered “in the the thorough drafting and presentation of the bill”.

“The strict eligibility criteria make it very clear that we are only talking about people who are already dying,” she said.

“That is why the bill is called the ‘Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’; its scope cannot be changed and clearly does not include any other group of people.

“The bill would give dying people the autonomy, dignity and choice to shorten their death if they wish.”

In response to concerns Ms Mahmood raised about patients being coerced into choosing assisted death, Ms Leadbeater said she has consulted widely with doctors and judges.

“Those I have spoken to tell me that they are well equipped to ask the right questions to detect coercion and to ascertain a person’s genuine wishes. It is an integral part of their work,” she said.

In an increasingly fractious debate around the topic, multiple Labour MPs have voiced their concerns.

In a letter to ministers on 3 October, the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case confirmed “the Prime Minister has decided to set aside collective responsibility on the merits of this bill” and that the government would “therefore remain neutral on the passage of the Bill and on the matter of assisted dying”.

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‘Immediate action’ taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

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'Immediate action' taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.

The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.

The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.

Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.

The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.

A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”

The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is launching a sentencing review in a bid to ease the crisis.

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Starmer says UK will ‘set out a path’ to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

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Starmer says UK will 'set out a path' to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and  Keir Starmer, during a trilateral meeting in 10 Downing Street.
Pic: PA
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Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in October. Pic: PA

Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates

A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

Read more from Sky News:
Strike using UK-made Storm Shadow missiles ‘very successful’
Putin warns US and UK over ‘escalation of aggressive actions’

While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.

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