- James Howells has had his appeal request to the Royal Court of Appeal refused
- The case concerns his ongoing legal battle with Newport City Council over access to a landfill site
- Howells intends to escalate the matter to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
James Howells, the man at the centre of a high-profile legal dispute over lost Bitcoin, has suffered another setback in his battle against Newport City Council. His request for an appeal was rejected by the Royal Court of Appeal, with the judge ruling that his case had ‘no real prospect of success.’ Howells, however, remains undeterred, declaring that his ‘next stop’ will be the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
A Story of Buried Bitcoin
Howells, a former IT worker, has been locked in a years-long legal struggle with Newport City Council over access to a landfill site where he believes a hard drive containing a vast Bitcoin fortune—worth hundreds of millions of pounds—is buried. The drive was mistakenly discarded in 2013, and since then, Howells has been campaigning for permission to conduct an excavation.
The council has repeatedly refused his requests, citing environmental concerns and the lack of a feasible plan for recovery. Howells has countered these claims by presenting detailed proposals, including funding from private investors and the use of cutting-edge AI technology to scan the landfill efficiently. The UK High Court ruled in January that Newport County, owners of the landfill site in question, are the legal owners of the hard drive containing the coins, adding that he wouldn’t have allowed permission to dig even if they weren’t.
Locked Out on LinkedIn
Howells appealed the verdict, but in a LinkedIn post on Friday, he announced that his latest legal avenue in the UK had been shut down:
Howells criticised the UK legal system, referring to it as ‘The Great British Injustice System’ and suggesting that ‘the state always protects the state. The court’s official decision, issued by Lord Justice Nugee, stated that Howells’ appeal had ‘no real prospect of success’ and that there was ‘no other compelling reason’ to allow it.
Howells Takes Batte to Human Rights Court
Despite the ruling, Howells has signalled his intention to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights. While it remains unclear on what grounds he intends to challenge the decision, he may argue that his rights to property or fair treatment have been violated.
With legal avenues in the UK exhausted, the ECHR represents a long-shot attempt to force Newport City Council’s hand. However, such cases can take years to process, meaning that if Howells’ Bitcoin remains in the landfill, time may be his greatest enemy.
