Lynch yacht latest: Family ‘devastated’ as Hannah ‘taken on precipice of life’

All 22 people who were on Mike Lynch’s superyacht have now been accounted for with search and rescue operations officially concluded, the coast guard has said.

When the final search vessel made its way back to the marina “it was clear they’d found the final body” according to Sky News correspondent Ashna Hurynag.

She wrote that a “guard of honour of sorts began to assemble on the harbourside” with a poignant photo showing coastguard members, search and rescue squad and police officers standing shoulder to shoulder as the vessel pulled in.

A friend and colleague, Sushovan Hussain, of the Lynch family, said that he and his wife were “utterly devastated by the deaths of so many of our dear friends”.

Mr Hussain said he had known Mike since school and Hannah since her birth. He said for her to be taken “on the precipice of her life is cruel beyond belief.”

He said he also was friends with Mike Lynch’s co-defendant Stephen (calling him Steve) Chamberlain, who died after being hit by a car two days before the yacht tragedy.

He was also friends with bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo who also died when the boat sank.

His full statement read: “My wife and I are utterly devastated by the deaths of so many of our dear friends. No words can express our sorrow. I have known Mike for over 40 years, since our school days, and for most of that time our lives have been inextricably linked.

“I was thrilled when he was acquitted and now his departure leaves an unfillable hole in my life. We have known Hannah since her birth, and for her to be taken on the precipice of her life is cruel beyond belief. Our hearts bleed for Angela and her remaining daughter. “Steve was by my side for many years, and I had the honour of calling him, Jonathan, Judy and Chris my good friends. It is truly impossible to fathom how they can all be gone over such a short period. It is tragic beyond words.”

The Lynch family has shared a photo of 18-year-old Hannah with the “famous” family dog.

The family has six dogs all named after engineering parts: two dachshunds and four sheepdogs. But it was Faucet they dubbed “famous” after being under house arrest with Mike Lynch in America.

The man once dubbed Britain’s Bill Gates was extradited from Britain last May and spent 13 months under house arrest, with armed guards, pending trial on charges he would eventually be acquitted of in June this year.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Lynch said of Faucet: “We spend all our time together. He still sleeps on the pillow next to me.”

Mike Lynch’s family have spoken of how they are in shock but have thanked everyone involved in the rescue.

A spokesperson for the Lynch family said: “The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends.

“Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.

“They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue. Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.”

Hannah’s former English teacher has said she was “one of the best English students in the country” having scored 100% in her English Literature GCSE.

Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, head of English at Latymer Upper School said by age 16, Hannah had read “[James] Joyce, [William] Faulkner and [Vladimir] Nabokov.” He taught her for four years and said he will remember her for what she taught him: “Kindness, compassion and commitment.”

His full statement read: “I’ve never taught someone who combined sky-high intellectual ability with warmth and enthusiasm in the way Hannah did. She lit up the classroom with her energy, passion for learning and sheer intelligence (though never with a hint of arrogance).

“One of the best English students in the country, she scored 100% in her English Literature GCSE. By age 16, she’d read Joyce, Faulkner and Nabokov. Beyond that, she devoured the writings of Angela Carter, Joseph Conrad and John Donne. She loved literature, learning and life.

“She was so excited to start studying English at Oxford, a goal she had worked so hard towards. When she got her place, she sought out every single member of the Latymer Upper English Department to thank them individually and give them a hug!

“She achieved everything she did with extraordinary levels of grace and fortitude that few others can say they possess. I taught Hannah for four years. I will remember her for what she taught me: kindness, compassion and commitment.”

The first picture of Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah has been released by their family.

The photo shows the pair smiling in the sunshine.

Hannah had been academically gifted and was due to start studying at Oxford University in September.

We have just received tributes from friends of Hannah Lynch, following the news that the final missing body, believed to be that of Hannah’s, has been recovered.

The 18-year-old has been described as a “ferociously intelligent” and “loving” young woman who was so excited to begin studying at Oxford University.

Patrick Jacob, a family friend, said: “Hannah was charming and ferociously intelligent with an insatiable thirst for life and knowledge. She was also warm, loving and deeply considerate; remarkably for her age. I am 50 years older than her and in my life I have never met anybody like Hannah. We have lost one of our brightest stars whose future held so much promise. Her loss is unbearable.”

Italian authorities believe they have found the bodies of all six people who were missing after a luxury yacht sank during a storm off the coast of Sicily.

These are the details of each of the victims on board:

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch had been in the headlines long before the boat incident following being the centre of a high-profile fraud case.

The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy, and his disappearance comes just weeks after he was cleared of all charges by a US jury related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

HP claimed, just a year after the sale, that Mr Lynch had used accounting tricks to artificially inflate its value before the sale. He spent 13 months under house arrest before being extradited to the US last May for a trial that acquitted him in June this year on all 15 counts.

Chris Morvillo is a lawyer who represented Mr Lynch in his US trial. He is a partner at the Clifford Chance law firm who confirmed on Tuesday he was among the six missing.

In his most recent LinkedIn post, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr Lynch’s trial. At the end of the post, he thanked his family for their support: “And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.

“None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after….”

A green body bag was seen being brought to the port of Porticello from the site of the sinking, the PA news agency has reported.

The bodies of all six missing passengers have now been brought to shore in the small fishing village of Porticello, around 11 miles from the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

Hannah Lynch, 18, had been onboard her tech tycoon father’s luxury boat alongside 20 others when the Bayesian capsized during stormy weather.

Her mother, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors who were rescued from a lifeboat after the boat dramatically sank in minutes at around 5am on Monday morning.

Hannah had been due to study English at the University of Oxford having recently finished her A-levels, The Times reported. A gifted pupil, she won a prize for English while she was in Year 10 at Latymer Upper School.

The prestigious Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, where she had been a pupil, has said they are all “incredibly shocked” after a yacht sank with her onboard.

Friends of the teenager described her as a “supernova” – a gentle, kind, clever young woman who was a staunch feminist, according to The Times.