Latest news on Mike Lynch’s superyacht sinking: Manslaughter investigation sheds light on crew’s responsibility as tributes paid to Hannah

A court-appointed armed guard tasked with ensuring Mike Lynch did not go into hiding while facing fraud charges paid tribute to the tech mogul, saying the security team had become “less of a solo effort and more like a family.”

Rolo Igno also described “the memory of a beautiful soul” in Lynch’s daughter Hannah.

Mr Igno said he had the “privilege” of spending “almost every waking minute” with Mr Lynch while in custody in San Francisco, describing the deployment as one he had never done before and one that was “life-changing”.

“For a bodyguard, rule number one is simple: never get too close to the client,” he said.

“They are not your friends, they are a customer and the relationship is purely professional. But Mike didn’t take kindly to that and for me that rule was quickly overturned.”

Italian prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio from the nearby town of Termini Imerese said his office had launched an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent ship handling. No specific suspects have yet been named.

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Susannah Gurdun, a close friend of the Lynch family from Suffolk, told a number of poignant stories about Mike Lynch and who he was, apart from being one of Britain’s biggest tech moguls.

Ms Gurdun spoke of his “exciting ability” to explain difficult and complicated concepts in a way that people can easily understand.

His wife, Angela Bacares, and his daughters told Mrs. Gurdun about his ability to “conjure beautiful stories out of nothing.”

The next evening, as Mr. Lynch was clearing the plates, he told a story about a hero, the same age as Mrs. Gurdun’s son, who went on adventures in search of treasure. She called it “magical.”

She added that she was not surprised to learn that Hannah had begun to show “serious literary talent.”

Friends of Recaldo “Rick” Thomas have paid tribute to their “brave” and “selfless” friend who was found in the water near the superyacht Bayesian.

“Rick could have jumped out and survived, I have no doubt about that. But he wouldn’t have just left people on board and swam away,” said his friend Gareth Williams. The Sunday Times.

“I read that the first mate was pretty young. Rick would have said to him, ‘Get off the boat, man, I’m here, I’ll take care of it.’ That’s just the way he was.”

He added: “He had this infectious smile and a sultry baritone voice. He was the type of person you could sit in a room with – no TV, no music, just be. You didn’t have to say a word. You just enjoyed his company.”

British technology magnate Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people initially reported missing after his superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.

On Saturday morning, Italian authorities announced that a manslaughter investigation had been launched. Following a five-day operation, divers had carefully made their way to the bedrooms in the cabins.

Mr Lynch and Hannah were among seven people who died when the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello at around 5am local time on Monday.

Morgan Stanley CEO Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo also died.

Recaldo Thomas was the superyacht’s chef and the first person confirmed dead.

Officials said the superyacht was hit by a downburst and Italian authorities said they were investigating how it might affect a single craft but not other vessels nearby, according to the conference translation.

A downburst is a violent gust of wind near the ground caused by the strong downdraft of a thunderstorm. Unlike the rotating winds of a tornado, the wind often blows radially from a point source.

Downbursts usually last only a few minutes and can be particularly dangerous for air traffic.

Over the years, they have been blamed for numerous plane crashes, although the danger is usually well predicted by meteorologists and pilots can therefore avoid it.