James Howells Gives Up Quest for 8,000 BTC Worth $900M After UK Courts Reject Landfill Claims

BTC0.75%
James Howells, a Welsh IT engineer, lost access to 8,000 Bitcoin after accidentally discarding an encrypted hard drive containing the private keys in 2013. The drive was sent to a landfill in Newport, Wales. After years of negotiation and legal battles, UK courts rejected his claims on January 9, 2025, and a subsequent appeal in March 2025 was also denied, reinforcing that possession of Bitcoin depends on access to private keys. In July 2025, Howells abandoned his bid to buy the landfill section and now plans to develop Ceiniog, a proposed Bitcoin layer-2 network he says is backed by the inaccessible coins, valued at approximately $923 million at the time of the announcement.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third-party sources and is for reference only. It does not represent the views or opinions of Gate and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Virtual asset trading involves high risk. Please do not rely solely on the information on this page when making decisions. For details, see the Disclaimer.
Comment
0/400
No comments