Originally published on: October 12, 2024
An IT engineer named James Howells is taking Newport City Council to court in the United Kingdom, seeking a massive $647 million in damages. The reason? He accidentally tossed out a hard drive holding 8,000 Bitcoin, worth nearly half a billion pounds now.
Reports from WalesOnline reveal that Howells has been fighting with the council to retrieve the hard drive from a local landfill for years. Unfortunately, the council has repeatedly refused his requests to excavate the site, leaving him empty-handed.
The mishap occurred during a routine household cleanout in 2013, where Howells unknowingly discarded the hard drive in a bin liner that ended up at a recycling center. Back then, the 8,000 Bitcoin on the drive was worth around $1.3 million.
Despite years of effort, Howells has been unable to locate the missing hard drive. Now, he has enlisted a team of legal experts to pursue his case, set to be heard this December.
In a bid to persuade the council to allow the excavation, Howells has even offered to share 10% of the recovered Bitcoin value. But the council remains steadfast in its refusal, citing environmental concerns due to the landfill’s hazardous materials like asbestos, arsenic, and methane.
Howells has proposed an $11 million plan to locate and recover the lost hard drive, surrounded by tons of garbage. While the council has balked at the idea, questioning its legality and feasibility, Howells is determined to press on.
To prevent similar Bitcoin disasters, remember to keep hardware wallets safe, secure private keys offline, and back up recovery phrases in secure locations. Stay tuned for more crypto news and updates by subscribing today!
