Mike Lynch’s court-appointed guard praises tycoon’s ‘loving and caring heart’

The armed guard assigned to Mike Lynch while he faced fraud charges has described how close he became to the “loving” tech entrepreneur and his family.

Appointed by the court, Rolo Igno, said he was supposed to stay distant but that the professional relationship “quickly dissolved” when Lynch invited him to spend time with his family.

Lynch and six others were killed when his luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday after it was struck by a powerful storm wind called a downburst.

Related: Mike Lynch obituary

Lynch had been celebrating his acquittal from fraud charges relating to the £8.6bn sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. He was cleared in June after a trial at a federal court in San Francisco, California.

In an interview with the Press Association, Igno said he had the “privilege” of spending “almost every waking moment” with Lynch while he was in custody in San Francisco. He said the job had been unlike any other and had been “life changing”.

“As an executive protection agent, the number one rule is simple, don’t ever get close to the principal,” he said. “They aren’t your friends, they’re a client and the relationship is strictly professional. But with Mike, that didn’t fly with him and for me that rule quickly dissolved.”

Igno described how when he had first escorted Lynch and his daughters, Hannah and Esme, to lunch, they did not hesitate to include him.

“I opened the door for them and told Mike: ‘If you need anything at all sir, I’ll be right at this table by the entrance’,” Igno told PA. “He chuckled and in his confident way, Mike replied: ‘No, no, no, you’ll be sitting with us.’

“When I hesitated, not wanting to disrupt their family time, he insisted, saying: ‘Rolo, do you want me to tell my beautiful daughters that the tough and handsome security guy, who was a former marine, didn’t want to sit with us because he was intimidated by them?’ How could I possibly say no to that?

“So, I joined them, sitting at the far end of the table, feeling out of my element but gradually realising how genuine and loving they all were.”

Igno said he enjoyed the job so much that he was excited to return to San Francisco after time off “just to be around Mike”.

He said the year he spent living with Lynch “allowed me to experience first-hand his loving and caring heart,” adding that the security team “became less of a detail and more like a family”.

Italian prosecutors announced on Saturday that they had opened a manslaughter and negligent shipwreck investigation into the deaths of seven people in the sinking of the Bayesian. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was one of 15 passengers and crew rescued after the Bayesian sank.

Describing being with the family in Ravello, Italy, earlier this month, Igno said it was one of his “most cherished memories”, adding: “Overlooking the stunning Amalfi coast, Mike came up to me and said: ‘Rolo, I feel so much better knowing you will always have my family’s back.’

“He was right, and Mike, if you’re listening, I will always have your back. I will forever be here for Angela and Esme.”

Igno added: “My family will miss your masterful storytelling, and we will forever regret not seeing you do the robot dance that night, we were so close. Hannah, my family and I will miss your beautiful smile, your loving soul and your calming presence. My daughter Emma will never forget the time you two shared.”

There were five others killed in the incident. The yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, Morgan Stanley International’s bank chair, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, the Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo all died in the disaster.

According to the prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, some passengers may not have been able to escape from the yacht because they were asleep.