Suffolk coroner cites cross-border complexity as complicating the inquest into deaths of four of those lost in the Mediterranean tragedy
Dr Michael Lynch (Photo by Ben Gurr - WPA Pool/ Getty Images)A SUFFOLK coroner has confirmed that a full inquest into the deaths of four people in the Bayesian yacht disaster in the Mediterranean cannot proceed until separate criminal investigations in Britain and Italy have concluded.
All but seven of the 22 people on board the Bayesian—12 passengers and 10 crew—managed to survive after the yacht capsized off Sicily’s northern coast on 19 August 2024. Among those who perished were London-Irish IT entrepreneur Dr Michael Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, both from Suffolk. The luxury sailing yacht is believed to have sunk after being hit by a severe weather event.
Also among the dead were Jonathan Bloomer, 70, chair of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife Judy, 71, from Kent.
Suffolk's senior coroner Nigel Parsley outlined the situation during a pre-inquest review hearing in Ipswich, noting that only limited evidence has been made available to date. He said no date would be set for a full inquest until both criminal inquiries are complete.
The 56-metre yacht, which departed the Sicilian port of Milazzo five days before the incident, remains submerged near the village of Porticello, east of Palermo. Recovery efforts are expected to begin in May.
The coroner indicated he is minded to proceed without a jury, though the hearing could still run for up to 10 days. He expects to hear from maritime experts, weather analysts, and surviving crew.
Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares and a one-year-old child escaped on a lifeboat.
Hannah Lynch's body was the last to be recovered by divers after a multi-day search operation.
The three other victims were identified as American legal professionals Chris and Neda Morvillo, and the yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas, originally from Antigua. Only the deaths of the UK nationals fall within the Suffolk coroner’s remit.
Mark Cam, lead investigator for the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), told the hearing that his team is examining potential breaches of maritime law. He also noted that many of the crew members live outside the UK, complicating witness interviews.
Parallel inquiries in Italy are exploring whether criminal charges—reportedly including possible manslaughter equivalents—could be brought.
Separately, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is conducting its own safety-focused inquiry. Principal inspector Simon Graves said an interim public report is expected within weeks and confirmed that MAIB staff will be on site during the yacht’s recovery.
He stressed that the MAIB investigation is independent of any legal proceedings and aims solely to identify safety lessons.
Mike Lynch — from humble beginnings to the Royal Society
Michael Lynch was the son of a fireman from Co. Cork and a nurse from Tipperary. He was always proud of his Irish roots and maintained strong ties with both counties.
In former years, Lynch was awarded an OBE for services to enterprise, and served on the boards of both the British Library and the BBC. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the most prestigious scientific institutions in the world.
Lynch was acquitted in a San Francisco court in June of all charges of fraud laid before him in a case involving the IT giant Hewlett Packard.
He was born to Irish parents from humble backgrounds—something that was impressed upon the jury during his trial in San Francisco. The Lynchs moved from Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary to Essex, where the young Mike was brought up. His Irish heritage, and the fact that his parents were “poor Irish immigrants” to Britain, was alluded to during the fraud trial.
During his testimony, Lynch spoke of growing up during the Troubles in 1970s London as the son of Irish immigrants. “You had to learn to run fast,” he said, recalling his youth. He also described his first job as a cleaner at the hospital where his mother worked as a nurse. “I’m still a demon mopper,” he told the court.
On the same weekend that Michael Lynch and his daughter died in the Bayesian tragedy, Stephen Chamberlain—Lynch's co-defendant in the San Francisco fraud trial—also died after being struck by a car while jogging in Cambridgeshire, England.
