January 9th 2025.
It's a story that sounds like something out of a movie - a man named James Howells accidentally throws out a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin tokens, worth an estimated £598 million, more than a decade ago. Howells has been on a mission to retrieve it ever since, after his partner mistakenly binned it during a spring clean in 2013. He had been mining the Bitcoin in 2009, practically at no cost to himself, and had forgotten about it until its value surged to £9 million a few months later. But by then, it was too late - the hard drive was long gone, buried somewhere among 350,000 tonnes of rubbish at Newport Household Waste Recycling Centre in South Wales.
Despite offering to pay the council £10 million if they were able to recover the hard drive, they refused to help. And now, after years of legal battles, a High Court judge has thrown out Howells' attempt to sue the council, stating that there were no reasonable grounds for the claim and no realistic prospect of success. The judge, Andrew Keyser KC, also added that too much time had passed between Howells losing the hard drive and bringing the case to court.
In his defense, Howells had hoped for the opportunity to explain himself and seek justice in a full trial. He expressed his disappointment at the case being struck out at the earliest hearing, leaving him with no chance to defend himself. He also stated that he was not driven by greed, but rather the desire to share the proceeds with the council. However, he felt that those in positions of power were not willing to have a reasonable conversation with him.
On the other hand, James Goudie KC, representing the council, argued that Howells had forfeited ownership of the hard drive when it entered the landfill. He also pointed out that the council was bound by environmental regulations, preventing them from excavating the site without violating their permits.
In the end, the judge's written judgement stated that there were no reasonable grounds for bringing the case and no realistic chance of success at trial. This ruling came as a devastating blow to Howells, who felt that the British justice system had failed him once again. He expressed his frustration at losing everything and being left with nothing. It seems that this unfortunate incident will forever remain a part of Howells' story, with no hope of recovering his lost fortune.
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