🚹 8,000 Bitcoin LOST - British Man Sues Council for $647M

James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, has launched a ÂŁ495 million ($647M) lawsuit against Newport City Council after the local authorities blocked his request to excavate a landfill in search of his lost hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin.

Back in 2013, Howells accidentally threw out the hard drive during a household clearout, and it’s now worth nearly half a billion pounds as BTC prices surged since then. Over the years, Howells has desperately tried to retrieve the drive, only to face repeated denials from the council, which cited environmental risks.

🗑 The Decade-Long Search: Howells' Bitcoin was worth about £1 million ($1.3M) when he first discarded the drive. Fast forward to today, and it's worth hundreds of millions, sparking his legal battle.

Despite offering the council 10% of the Bitcoin if recovered, Newport officials continue to block excavation, pointing to potential risks involving asbestos, arsenic, and methane in the landfill.

đŸ€– The Futuristic Pitch: In 2022, Howells even presented an $11 million plan using robots and AI to sift through the estimated 110,000 tonnes of waste without cost to the council. Yet, the authorities remain firm, questioning the legality and feasibility of the project.

The case is now set to go to court in December, with Howells’ legal team determined to break through the council’s resistance.

💡 Takeaway: This case highlights the importance of securing your crypto assets, keeping hardware wallets safe, and backing up recovery phrases securely. Don’t let a simple mistake lead to losing life-changing amounts of Bitcoin!

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