Claimant seeks new legal team for appeal in £650m bitcoin hard drive case

The claimant behind a High Court case against Newport City Council over a lost hard drive containing access to a £650m Bitcoin wallet has taken to social media to find a new legal team for an appeal.

The hard drive, which contains the password to a Bitcoin wallet worth around £650m, is said to have been disposed by accident at the Newport Household Waste and Recycling Centre in 2010.

Over the last ten years, James Howells has repeatedly requested access to the landfill in a bid to retrieve the hard drive, offering to contribute 10% of the Bitcoin's value to the Newport community if it is successfully recovered.

Howells sought a claim for declarations that he was the legal owner of the hard drive and all tangible and intangible property on it.

He requested either an order for delivery of the hard drive or damages for its wrongful retention.

The council meanwhile asserted that it is the legal owner of the hard drive as it was deposited at the landfill.

The High Court dismissed Howells's claim in a summary judgment earlier this month after finding "no reasonable grounds for bringing the case".

His Honour Judge Keyser KC, sitting as a Deputy High Court judge, said the claim would have no realistic prospect of succeeding if it went to trial.

However, Howells appears set on pursuing an appeal after having posted on LinkedIn on Thursday (16 January): "Looking to recruit and instruct a new legal team (Solicitor and Barrister) at short notice to conduct an appeal in my £700m case against Newport City Council.

"DM's open, extremely time sensitive, pays well if successful."

Adam Carey