A man’s attempt in the UK to obtain permission to search a landfill for his hard drive — which contains the private keys to 8,000 Bitcoin — has been denied by the UK Court of Appeals.
“Appeal request to the Royal Court of Appeal: denied,” Howells announced in a post on X on March 14.
“The Great British Injustice System strikes again… The state always protects the state,” the early Bitcoin enthusiast expressed, indicating that his “next stop” would be the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Judge Christopher Nugee of the UK Royal Court of Appeal dismissed Howells’ application, citing a lack of “real prospect of success” and no strong justification for the case to be heard, according to a filing shared with Cointelegraph on March 13.
Source: James Howells
This decision comes after High Court Judge Andrew Keyser dismissed Howells’ case on January 9, also concluding there was “no realistic prospect” for success at a full trial.
In a communication to Cointelegraph, Howells remarked that his “last legal option” is at the ECHR, where he intends to argue that the UK High Court and UK Court of Appeal violated his right to property and right to a fair trial as stated in Article 1 of Protocol 1 and Article 6 of the ECHR.
“The British establishment wants to sweep this under the carpet, and I will not let them. It will not go away — no matter how long it takes!”
Although the ECHR cannot overturn a UK court’s decision, a ruling in Howells’ favor could prompt UK courts to re-evaluate whether their legislation aligns with the ECHR’s guidelines.
In a different statement to Cointelegraph, Howells mentioned his plans to file a claim with the ECHR in the “coming weeks.”
His court filings come after multiple refusals from Newport City Council for Howells to search through the Docksway landfill, where his former partner discarded a bag containing the hard drive at the site in 2013.
Related: Burning quantum-vulnerable BTC is the best option — Jameson Lopp
Howells’ 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC) is currently valued at approximately $660 million. While few expected Bitcoin to soar to such heights in the past, Howells’ experience underscores the need for properly securing self-custodied crypto assets.
Additionally, Howells reportedly faces a time constraint, as the Docksway landfill is anticipated to close during the UK’s 2025-2026 fiscal year, as reported by BBC News on February 9.
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