BTC PULSE
No Result
View All Result
Play Now
No Result
View All Result
BTC PULSE
No Result
View All Result
Play Now
Home Bitcoin

British Man Sues Council for $647M Over Lost Bitcoin in Landfill

by Dan K
Oct 13, 2024 - 10:22 pm
in Bitcoin
James Howells sues Newport Council over lost Bitcoin in landfill, seeking $647M damages

British Man Seeks $647M in Damages Over Lost Bitcoin

James Howells, 36, an IT engineer from Newport, has been in a decade-long fight against the Newport City Council regarding a hard drive he accidentally threw away on which 8,000 Bitcoin were recorded. With the current soaring value of the cryptocurrency, Howells is now suing for 495 million British pounds ($647 million) in damages after access to the landfill where he believes the drive is buried was refused.

A War of Attrition

It started in 2013 when Howells accidentally threw out the hard drive during a household clear-out. At the time, his Bitcoin stash was valued at about 1 million pounds. Fast forward to today: its value has surged close to half a billion pounds. That has led Howells to make several attempts to retrieve the hard drive from the local landfill, but such requests were constantly rebuffed by the Newport City Council. That has led to this high-profile lawsuit.

Council Refusal to Dig

The Newport City Council has cited the environmental issues for rejecting the Howells’ proposals to dig. The landfill was indeed marked for having a higher level of hazardous materials in the form of waste-asbestos, arsenic, and methane gas. Although Howells is promising the council 10 percent of whatever Bitcoin that can be recovered, the council refuses, citing the reason that digging may cause great environmental risk.

High-Tech Recovery Proposal

In 2022, Howells made an £8 million offer to employ innovative technology-robots-to sift through an estimated 110,000 tonnes of waste in search of the lost hard drive. He underlined that the project would be privately funded with no financial commitment required from the council. However, Newport City Council has continued to question the feasibility and legality of Howells’ efforts.

Lessons in Bitcoin Security

Howells’ situation is a lesson for crypto investors. For one to securely store Bitcoin, protection should be accorded to hardware wallets themselves, private keys kept offline, and recovery phrases backed up in various safe places. All this will ensure such sad losses as that of Howells’ will not occur in the future.

Tags: BitcoinRegulation
Dan K

Dan K

Dan K, the chief editor, is a visionary wordsmith, shaping narratives with finesse. His discerning eye for detail creates literary masterpieces.

Related Posts

Green Minerals headquarters and Bitcoin symbol representing strategic investment deal

Bitcoin Inflows From 2024-2025 Break 15-Year Record, Hitting $625B

September 15, 2025

Bitcoin on-chain inflows reached $625B in 1.5 years, outpacing 15 years of growth. Institutional demand and Fed policy...

Wall Street financial district with Bitcoin symbol representing institutional adoption

Wall Street Veteran Jordi Visser Predicts Big Bitcoin Allocation Boost by Year-End

September 14, 2025

Jordi Visser forecasts US institutions will increase Bitcoin allocations before year-end, boosting Q4 demand and setting up portfolios...

China Renaissance invests $100M in BNB through MoU with YZi Labs

China Renaissance Commits $100M to BNB in Landmark Treasury Move

August 22, 2025

China Renaissance invests $100M in BNB, signing MoU with YZi Labs to push adoption and regulated listings in...

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink speaking at the World Economic Forum

Bitcoin’s biggest Wall Street backer takes the wheel at World Economic Forum

August 15, 2025

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink joins André Hoffmann as interim co-chair of the WEF board, signaling stronger ties between...

View All
BTC-Pulse LogoTransparent

© 2024 BTC-PULSE. Disclaimer: The content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Info

  • Learn
  • Price Prediction
  • Events
  • Press Releases
  • Sitemap

Company

  • About Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise

News

  • Altcoins
  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • NFT
  • Regulation
  • WEB 3.0

©2024 BTC-PULSE – All right Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • BTC-PULSE
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Service