A UK court has ruled against James Howells, a Welsh IT engineer, in his attempt to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin from a Newport landfill. The court dismissed the case due to high costs and environmental risks associated with excavation. As a result, Howells cannot retrieve Bitcoin now valued at over $770 million.
Howells lost the hard drive in 2013 when his partner accidentally threw it away. The Bitcoin, mined in 2009, has significantly increased in value over the years. Howells has repeatedly proposed to excavate the landfill to recover the drive, offering to pay for the costs and share 25% of the Bitcoin with the Newport City Council. However, the council rejected his requests, citing financial and environmental concerns.
Recently, Judge Keyser dismissed Howells’ lawsuit, stating there were “no reasonable grounds” for the claim and “no realistic prospect” of success in a full trial. This decision marks the end of Howells’ decade-long effort to reclaim his cryptocurrency fortune.
This situation is reminiscent of another notable Bitcoin event known as Bitcoin Pizza Day. In 2012, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made the first real-world Bitcoin transaction by buying two pizzas for 10,000 BTC, which was worth $41 at the time. Today, that amount would be worth over $700 million, showcasing Bitcoin’s dramatic rise in value.
