James Howells’ quest to recover a lost Bitcoin fortune from a dump faces a major setback after a court ruling dismisses his claim
Newport: A man named James Howells is on a wild quest to find a hard drive he believes holds a fortune in Bitcoin. He claims his ex-girlfriend accidentally tossed it out over ten years ago.
Howells, a father of three, says the drive contains around 8,000 Bitcoin, which is worth a staggering £569 million today. He wanted Newport City Council to let him dig through the rubbish to find it or pay him nearly £500 million instead.
But the High Court in Cardiff wasn’t having it. A judge ruled that there was no real chance of his claim succeeding. The council argued that once the drive was in the landfill, it became their property, and digging it up would break environmental laws.
Howells had even hired the former head of the landfill to help him locate the drive, claiming he knew exactly where it was buried. He offered the council a 10% cut of the Bitcoin if they let him search, but they turned him down.
Despite the setback, Howells isn’t ready to throw in the towel. He’s considering appealing the decision, convinced that the Bitcoin could be worth even more in the future. He said he’s determined to keep fighting for that hard drive, even if it means going all the way to the Supreme Court.
Howells expressed his frustration, saying he could spend his life working a regular job, but he’d rather focus on recovering that drive. He’s putting all his resources into this project, hoping for a big payoff down the line.
