Wales Man Loses Appeal to Dig Out Hard Drive Holding $676 Million in Bitcoin

The UK Courtroom of Appeals has rejected a Wales man’s request to excavate a landfill the place he believes his arduous drive holding $676 million in Bitcoin was dumped greater than a decade in the past. 

James Howells posted Friday on Linkedin a screenshot of the appeals courtroom’s ruling, which is last. The software program engineer, who mined the misplaced Bitcoin in 2009, has waged a long legal battle to realize entry to the landfill the place he believes his tokens could also be buried, and he has even considered purchasing the waste site. 

However having exhausted all his choices for authorized recourse by the U.Okay. courtroom system, Howells now plans to carry his case to the European Courts of Human Rights. 

“The Nice British Injustice System strikes once more… Ethical of the Story: The state all the time protects the state,” Howells wrote in his Linkedin submit. “Subsequent cease: ECHR.” 

Howells misplaced his arduous drive containing the keys to eight,000 Bitcoin in 2013, when his former companion tossed out the gadget. Bitcoin’s worth peaked that 12 months at roughly $1,130, CoinGecko data reveals. 

Since then, the worth of these tossed tokens has grown astronomically, nonetheless. Bitcoin was buying and selling at $84,500 as of publication time, or greater than 7000% greater than its highest worth in 2013. 

Howells is one in all many early Bitcoin believers whose holdings have grown to be value a life-changing fortune. However his case additionally underscores a typical actuality for a lot of crypto holders—the difficulties of custodying one’s personal cryptocurrencies. 

In a letter to Howells, Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Nugee of the U.Okay. Courtroom of Appeals mentioned he rejected the Bitcoin holder’s enchantment as a result of it didn’t have “any actual prospect of success.” 

Howells refuted the decide’s argument in a Friday assertion, which he shared with Decrypt. 

“The British institution needs to comb this below the carpet, and I can’t allow them to,” he mentioned. “It won’t go away—regardless of how lengthy it takes!”

Though Howells implied he has loads of time to combat his case, time to dig up his arduous drive is operating out. 

An area council that oversees the Welsh landfill is anticipated to shutter the positioning, which is nearing most capability, within the 2025-26 monetary 12 months, the council’s draft price range reveals.