Man sues council for right to dig up his computer hard drive from rubbish tip which holds ‘£569m Bitcoin fortune’
A man is taking legal action against Newport City Council in a final bid to recover his £569m Bitcoin fortune from a landfill site.
James Howells, 39, is preparing for court proceedings after the council repeatedly refused to let him excavate a hard drive containing the password to his cryptocurrency stash.
The device was accidentally thrown away by his then-partner in a black bin bag containing computer equipment.
The hard drive has since been lying in a council-owned rubbish tip in Wales, where Howells has spent years fighting for permission to retrieve it.
A judge is set to rule on December 3 on the council’s application to have the case thrown out.
Howells had mined 8,000 Bitcoins over 10 weeks during the early days of cryptocurrency, when the coins were virtually worthless.
He was forced to stop mining after his then-partner Hafina complained about the laptop fan noise keeping her awake at night.
After accidentally spilling lemonade on his laptop, Howells sold it for parts but kept the hard drive containing the crucial Bitcoin password.
He transferred most files to an Apple computer, but couldn’t move the Bitcoin passcode due to compatibility issues.
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The hard drive was placed in a drawer and forgotten for three years while Howells focused on work and family life with Hafina and their two young sons.
His partner later disposed of the hard drive without his knowledge or consent.
If successful in his legal bid, Howells pledges to donate 10 per cent of the recovered fortune to transform the local community.
“Newport could have looked like Las Vegas or Dubai if they had the foresight to engage,” he said.
He has assembled a team of experts, including specialists in landfill excavation and AI technology, to help locate the hard drive.
Howells insists the recovery operation would come at no cost to the public.
“Our team of experts say the data is recoverable,” he stated. “We have all the evidence to defeat the strike out application.”
The Bitcoin fortune could exceed £1 billion if the cryptocurrency reaches £125,000 per coin.
Newport City Council remains firmly opposed to the excavation plans.
“The council has told Mr Howells multiple times that excavation is not possible under our environmental permit,” a spokesperson said.
The authority warns the work would have “a huge negative environmental impact on the surrounding area.”
They emphasised that the council is the only body authorised to carry out operations on the site.
“Mr Howells’s claim has no merit, and the council is vigorously resisting it,” the spokesperson added.
Howells maintains this legal action is his “last resort” after years of failed attempts to engage with the council.
“I would much rather say let’s have a conversation and let’s dig and work together amicably – but they don’t want to know,” he said.