All that… for that. James Howells, a computer engineer from Newport in Wales, has just lost a long-running legal battle to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins (BTC), estimated today at more than $770 million. This hard drive, mistakenly thrown away in 2013, has since sat in a municipal landfill, and Newport City Council has categorically refused any access to the site. Worse, this time, it seems that justice has said a firm no for James Howells to recover his Bitcoin loot. Explanations.
- James Howells has lost a legal battle to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, mistakenly thrown away in 2013, and valued at more than $770 million.
- Newport City Council refused access to the municipal landfill, citing environmental reasons and municipal ownership of the hard drive.
A legal saga lasting more than ten years
James Howells had mined these 8,000 BTC in 2009at a time when Bitcoin was practically free. In 2013, he accidentally threw away the hard drive during a cleanse, long before Bitcoin exploded in value, reaching up to $100,000 per unit in 2024. Since then, Howells has made numerous attempts to recover his lost fortune.
He repeatedly offered Newport City Council a significant portion of his bitcoins if they were granted permission to excavate the landfill. But his efforts have systematically rejectedand the authorities refused to meet him in person. On October 11, 2024, the council reaffirmed that a excavation was impossible for environmental reasonsciting restrictions related to its waste management permit and risks to the local ecosystem.
A firm court decision against this bitcoin unfortunate
Mr Justice Keyser, of the Commercial Court of Wales, recently rejected Howells’ latest legal attempt as explained by the BBC. In his judgment, he found that the request had “not no realistic chance” to succeed in a trial. The argument put forward by counsel that the hard drive had become municipal property upon its entry into the landfill, also weighed heavily in the balance.
Howells, for his part, denounced what he considers to be negligent management of the landfillaccusing the council of environmental violations, including leaks of asbestos and methane gas. He claims to have gathered “ evidence » to support his accusations, but that was not enough to convince the court. Like every time.
-The location of the hard drive was estimated in an area containing 100,000 tonnes of wastewithin a landfill which has more than 1,4 million. However, authorities believe that an excavation of this scale would cause major environmental risks. Despite financial offers from Howells, including a promise to give 10% of bitcoins recovered to the local community, the council refused to “play with fire” on this issue.
A story that reminds us above all not to do anything with your cryptocurrencies. Good reflexes should always be remembered and your keys should be preserved as we explain in this article.
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