- James Howells loses his legal attraction to find a landfill for his lost 8,000 BTC, now rated at $ 672 million.
- The Newport city council blocks excavation, stating environmental risks, while Howells regards a definitive appeal to the European Court.
The decade lengthy legal battle for James Howells, the British IT professional who accidentally thrown away a hard drive with 8,000 bitcoin [BTC]has hit another setback.
A British court recently rejected its last appeal, which reduces his chances of repairing his lost fortune, now rated at almost $ 672 million.
Despite the repeated rejections of the Newport municipal council, Howells remains determined and claims that he has a “last legal option” left.
With the astronomical rise of Bitcoin since 2013, his fight to get the hard disk has received global attention.
A precious mistake: how 8,000 bitcoin ended up in a landfill
In 2013, when Bitcoin traded by around $ 100 per mint, Howells accidentally threw a laptop hard drive away with the private keys to his Bitcoin Holdings.
At the time, the total value of the cryptocurrency was around $ 800,000, a fraction of the current value.
Not aware of his future meaning, the drive ended up at the dockway landfill in Newport, Wales.
Over the years, the price from Bitcoin rose to $ 83,969.10 from March 2025, which catapults the value of the lost bitcoin in the hundreds of millions.
Legal fights and setbacks in the courtroom
Since he realized his mistake, Howells has repeatedly requested permission from the Newport municipal council to dig up the landfill in the hope of restoring the hard disk.
He suggested to finance the operation himself and even offered the council and the local community part of the restored Bitcoin.
However, his requests have been consistently refused due to environmental problems and legal limitations.
In December 2024, Howells escalated the case by tensioning a lawsuit against the council and demanded £ 495 million in compensation. He argued that he should have the right to look for his lost digital fortune.
In January 2025Judge Keyser KC ruled against him and stated that his case “had no realistic prospect to succeed.”
The court maintained the Council’s position and claimed that every item that is thrown away in the landfill is legally reserved, becomes the property of the council, which strengthens their decision to prevent excavation.
A final attempt: what is the next step for Howells?
Despite the court’s decision, Howells does not give up. He explained publicly That he intends to spend his case at the European Court of Human Rights and to claim that the refusal of the Newport municipal council violates its property rights.
This can be his last chance to secure the legal permission to dig for the missing bitcoin.
As an addition to the urgency of the situation, the Council has announced plans to close the landfill by 2026 to develop a solar farm on the site.
With this imminent development, Howells has suggested that if legal roads fail, he can try to buy the landfill to get control of the search operation.
Whether he can acquire the country and whether the hard disk is even repairable after more than a decade remains uncertain.
