‘Bitcoin landfill’ man loses appeal, eyes ‘last legal option’ to recover $672 mln

• James Howells loses his authorized attraction to discover a landfill for his misplaced 8,000 BTC, now rated at $ 672 million.
• The Newport metropolis council blocks excavation, stating environmental dangers, whereas Howells regards a definitive attraction to the European Courtroom.

The last decade prolonged authorized battle for James Howells, the British IT skilled who by chance thrown away a tough drive with 8,000 bitcoin [BTC]has hit one other setback.

A British court docket not too long ago rejected its final attraction, which reduces his probabilities of repairing his misplaced fortune, now rated at nearly $ 672 million.

Regardless of the repeated rejections of the Newport municipal council, Howells stays decided and claims that he has a “final authorized possibility” left.

With the astronomical rise of Bitcoin since 2013, his struggle to get the laborious disk has obtained international consideration.

A treasured mistake: how 8,000 bitcoin ended up in a landfill

In 2013, when Bitcoin traded by round $ 100 per mint, Howells by chance threw a laptop computer laborious drive away with the personal keys to his Bitcoin Holdings.

On the time, the full worth of the cryptocurrency was round $ 800,000, a fraction of the present worth.

Not conscious of his future which means, the drive ended up on the dockway landfill in Newport, Wales.

Through the years, the value from Bitcoin rose to $ 83,969.10 from March 2025, which catapults the worth of the misplaced bitcoin within the a whole bunch of thousands and thousands.

Authorized fights and setbacks within the courtroom

Since he realized his mistake, Howells has repeatedly requested permission from the Newport municipal council to dig up the landfill within the hope of restoring the laborious disk.

He prompt to finance the operation himself and even provided the council and the local people a part of the restored Bitcoin.

Nonetheless, his requests have been constantly refused resulting from environmental issues and authorized limitations.

In December 2024, Howells escalated the case by tensioning a lawsuit towards the council and demanded £ 495 million in compensation. He argued that he ought to have the best to search for his misplaced digital fortune.

In January 2025Choose Keyser KC dominated towards him and said that his case “had no life like prospect to succeed.”

The court docket maintained the Council’s place and claimed that each merchandise that’s thrown away within the landfill is legally reserved, turns into the property of the council, which strengthens their resolution to forestall excavation.

A remaining try: what’s the subsequent step for Howells?

Regardless of the court docket’s resolution, Howells doesn’t hand over. He explained publicly That he intends to spend his case on the European Courtroom of Human Rights and to say that the refusal of the Newport municipal council violates its property rights.

This may be his final probability to safe the authorized permission to dig for the lacking bitcoin.

As an addition to the urgency of the scenario, the Council has introduced plans to shut the landfill by 2026 to develop a photo voltaic farm on the positioning.

With this imminent improvement, Howells has prompt that if authorized roads fail, he can attempt to purchase the landfill to get management of the search operation.

Whether or not he can purchase the nation and whether or not the laborious disk is even repairable after greater than a decade stays unsure.