The decade-long saga of James Howells, the IT engineer who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC) in 2013, has taken a dramatic turn.
The lost cryptocurrency is now at the centre of intense legal disputes and new revelations.
Howells’ former partner, Halfina Eddy-Evans, recently came forward, claiming she disposed of the hard drive at his request. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Eddy-Evans stated that Howells “begged” her to throw away the unwanted items, stressing that “losing it was not her fault.”
Back in 2013, Bitcoin’s value was insignificant compared to today’s prices, and the true worth of the discarded hard drive went unnoticed. However, Howells later realized that it contained Bitcoin he had mined in 2009 when the cryptocurrency was worth less than $1 per token. Today, the total amount of the lost crypto is valued at over $716 million (Bitcoin is currently trading at $98,085.31, according to data from CoinMarketCap).
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Since discovering the loss, Howells has made multiple attempts to recover the hard drive, seeking approval from Newport City Council to excavate the landfill where it was disposed of. Despite offering to privately fund the recovery effort — including a $11 million search plan and a pledge to donate 10% of any recovered funds to the council — his requests have been repeatedly denied.
The council has reportedly cited environmental hazards and logistical challenges as reasons for rejecting the excavation, explaining that their license does not permit such operations.
Undeterred, Howells announced in October that he had taken legal action and was suing the council for over $647 million in damages. He claimed their refusal had caused him significant financial loss.
“They [the council] are currently, in my opinion, withholding my property without my consent and they’re not allowing me to search for it,”
Howells reportedly said.
The first hearing for the case after the local authority’s motion to dismiss Howell’s claim is set for early December 2024, with a judge scheduled to make a ruling on December 3.
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