James Howells loses $770M Bitcoin hard drive case

James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, has lost his legal battle to recover a hard drive containing over $770 million worth of Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC).

The hard drive, which holds 8,000 Bitcoins mined in 2009, was accidentally discarded in 2013 and ended up in a landfill. Newport City Council has consistently denied Howells access to the landfill, citing environmental permit restrictions.

On January 9, 2025, Judge Andrew John Keyser KC dismissed Howells' case, stating there was "no realistic prospect" of success at a full trial.

Howells had sought permission to excavate the landfill or receive compensation of £495 million, offering a portion of the recovered Bitcoin to the council.

Judge Keyser ruled that there were no reasonable grounds for the claim and emphasised that the hard drive became the property of the council once it was discarded.

The court noted that environmental regulations prohibited any excavation attempts.

"My case was not given the proper level of consideration that the value of the asset in question deserved," stated Howells, expressing disappointment with the ruling.

He added that he felt failed by the UK court system for not being allowed a full trial. Despite this setback, Howells maintains that his ownership of the Bitcoin hard drive was acknowledged during the hearing.

"It will pave the way for me to take appropriate steps to monetise my ownership of the 8,000 Bitcoin digital assets in the future via potential tokenisation avenues," he remarked.

For over a decade, Howells has fought to reclaim his lost fortune and has repeatedly attempted to negotiate with Newport City Council for permission to search the landfill.

The council has rejected his requests and declined to meet with him in person.

In response to environmental concerns, they stated that excavation would have a "huge negative environmental impact on the surrounding area."

At the time of reporting, the Bitcoin (BTC) price was $93,839.21.