UK Court Halts
Hunt for Lost $750 Million
Worth Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin in Council Dump
UK Court Halts Hunt for Lost $750 Million Worth Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin in Council Dump
Judge Keyser KC dismissed Howells' bid to recover a $735M Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin hard
drive buried in a Newport landfill, citing environmental risks.
By Vismaya V
Jan 10, 2025 Jan 10, 2025
3 min read
Landfill and trash truck Source: Shutterstock
Create an account to save your articles.
Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub.
Discover SCENE
James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, has lost his long-running
legal battle to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin valued at over
$750 million.
The Newport City Council has consistently denied access to the landfill where
the hard drive was accidentally discarded in 2013, citing environmental
concerns.
In the latest setback, Judge Keyser KC dismissed Howells’ case, ruling it had
“no realistic prospect” of success at trial, according to a BBC• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Бр » BBC (Би-би-си)
• Средства массовой информации » Средства массовой информации Великобритании » BBC (Би-би-си) report .
Howells mined the Bitcoin (BTC• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin) in 2009, when it cost mere pennies to do so,
and stored it on a hard drive that was later mistakenly thrown away.
Despite offering 10% of the recovered fortune to the council and the
community, his proposals—including a £10 million (US$12.3 million) excavation
plan funded by investors—were consistently rebuffed.
The council cited risks of environmental damage, stating the excavation would
breach its permits and harm the local ecosystem.
In his latest legal claim, the British man sought either access to the
landfill or $608 million in damages—equivalent to a significant portion of
Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin's value at its peak.
The Newport Council countered that the hard drive became its property upon
entering the landfill. They argued that the environmental impact of a dig was
untenable.
Judge Keyser agreed, adding Howells’ claim presented “no reasonable grounds”
for proceeding to trial.
The Circuit Commercial Judge for Wales concluded how the council’s ownership
of the landfill and its environmental permit provided a “complete answer” to
the claim.
"This ruling has taken everything from me and left me with nothing. It's
the great British injustice system striking again,” said Howells, as cited in
the report.
However, he found solace in the court not challenging his ownership of the
Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin itself, a detail he hopes to leverage in future plans.
Howells did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
A Decade of Lost Fortune
The saga began in 2013 when Howells’ then-partner accidentally discarded the
hard drive during an office cleanup.
By 2024, the value of his lost Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin had soared over 704,000 times, driven
by crypto’s huge rise, making the loss increasingly painful.
Over the years, Howells accused the council of environmental breaches,
claiming it was leeching arsenic and other toxins into the environment.
Despite the court’s decision, Howells told Wales Online that he hasn’t given
up entirely. He plans to explore tokenizing the inaccessible Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin into a
new crypto.
“The landfill acts like a super-duper storage vault,” he said, noting how this
might be his last resort to salvage any value.
Howells said he now feels the dig is “completely off the table” but remains
determined to find an alternative way to recover his fortune.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
Daily Debrief Newsletter
Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a
podcast, videos and more.
STARTTEXT
Your Email• Коммуникации » Интернет-коммуникации » Электронная почта
Get it!
Get it!
Your gateway into the world of Web3
Partner
News
Deep Dives
University
Coins
Videos
Event Calendar
Podcasts
News Explorer
Bitcoin• Экономика » Финансы » Платежные средства » Платежные системы интернета » Криптовалюта » Bitcoin Halving
About
Team
Disclosures
Manifesto
Terms of Service
Code of Conduct
1000x Member Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Contact
Careers
Jobs
Shop