A documentary about the extraordinary story of James Howells, the British IT technician who unintentionally threw away a hard drive that contained a fortune in Bitcoin, currently valued at an estimated £570 million, is currently in development.
For nearly ten years, Howell has been devoted to recovering the hard disk, which is thought to be buried deep in a landfill in Newport, Wales.
Howells’ Loss of Bitcoin in 2013
The 39-year-old Howells mined about 8,000 Bitcoins in 2009, when the cryptocurrency was almost nothing. However, in 2013, when cleaning out his residence, he unintentionally threw away the hard drive that had the private keys to his bitcoin.
Ever since, he has started several efforts to excavate the dump and retrieve the equipment, suggesting multi-million-pound excavation operations supported by lenders.
In addition to exploring the high stakes of cryptocurrencies and the repercussions of a simple error, the documentary will delve into the emotional, financial, and legal complexities of Howell’s quest.
The environmental and legal obstacles he had to overcome to persuade the local council to authorize a landfill search will also be highlighted. The movie is expected to be both an intriguing examination of digital affluence and obsession and a warning story.
Howells Plea To Retrieve the Lost Bitcoin
In 2013, James Howells said that when his ex-partner accidentally destroyed of the hard disk containing it, he wanted to go to the dump and get it back.
Nonetheless, Newport Council asked a High Court judge to deny Mr. Howells’ plea for admission to the dump or to award him £495 million in damages.
There were neither “reasonable grounds” nor “a realistic prospect” of winning a full trial, according to Judge Keyser KC.
In a written order, the court also declared that it does not feel there is any other compelling cause for the claim to be decided at trial and that a trial would not be realistically likely to result in a victory.
James Goudie KC, a council spokesperson, had maintained that the hard drive was already its property when it went into the garbage in accordance with the regulations in place.
It further said that its environmental approvals would forbid any attempt to dig up the site to search for the hard disk.
Also Read: British Man Pleading To Search Landfill To Retrieve $716M Bitcoin Now “Seeking to Bribe the Council”
Howells Legal Battles: What Has Happened So Far?
James Howells has taken legal steps against local authorities in Newport in an effort to gain access to the landfill site where he believes his discarded hard drive, containing 8,000 Bitcoins, is buried.
After repeated requests to excavate the site were denied, Howells began pursuing legal action, either to secure permission to search the area or to seek financial compensation for the lost digital fortune—now valued at over £500 million.
His argument centers on the claim that the council’s refusal to allow a search is preventing him from recovering property of immense value, potentially warranting damages.
Also Read: British Man Pleads to Search Landfill After Ex-GF Discards $716M Bitcoin Hard Drive