#UK court halts treasure hunt plan#
Hot Topic Overview
Overview
A UK court has rejected IT engineer James Howells' application to search a Newport landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013 and has been trying to persuade local authorities to allow him to excavate the landfill. However, the court ruled that the plan posed significant environmental risks and had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial, thus rejecting the application.
Ace Hot Topic Analysis
Analysis
A UK court has recently rejected IT engineer James Howells' application to search a landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013 and has been trying to persuade Newport City Council to allow him access to the landfill to excavate. However, the court found that the plan posed significant environmental risks and had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial. Judge Keyser KC argued that even if Howells found the hard drive, there was no guarantee it would still be functional, and the excavation process would cause irreversible damage to the environment. As a result, the court ultimately denied Howells' application, meaning he will not be able to recover his fortune by digging through the landfill.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
Finding a Bitcoin hard drive poses environmental risks, a court has ruled the plan unfeasible.
Newport City Council refused to allow digging in the landfill, and the court upheld the council's decision.
The case had 'no realistic chance of success' at trial.
James Howells' plan to find a Bitcoin hard drive worth $735 million has been halted by a court.