James Howells’ Appeal for Lost Bitcoin

James Howells, a Welsh man who lost $678 million worth of bitcoin in a landfill over ten years ago, has lost his UK court appeal. He now plans to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

In a statement shared with Protos, Howells mentioned that Judge Lord Justice Nugee rejected his application, stating it didn’t have “any real prospect of success” and there was no compelling reason for the appeal.

Despite this setback, Howells believes it’s time to escalate the case to the “highest level possible.” He argues that the UK courts have set a “dangerous precedent for property rights” and have denied his rights to a fair trial twice by dismissing his claims regarding his lost property.

Howells points out that although the courts admit Newport City Council does not own his bitcoin, they ruled that due to his hard drive being accidentally disposed of in 2013, the Council has the right to block his recovery. He warns that this ruling could prevent any UK resident from retrieving valuable property mistakenly discarded.

Chances of Recovery

Howells lost his UK High Court case last January and subsequently threatened to employ an AI agent specialized in UK law for his appeal. Notably, Craig Wright, another Brit who used AI for court appeals, faced a fine for misleading the court.

In February, it was announced that Newport City Council plans to close the landfill site by 2026 to convert it into a solar farm.

Howells’ hopes of finding the bitcoin hard drive are grim, with Business Waste estimating a 0.00000011% chance of recovery due to various factors such as exposure to elements and compaction, leading to a “0% chance of recovery.”