Newport man who accidentally threw away £700m hard drive shares update
James Howells threw away an encrypted hard drive in August 2013 that contains the cryptographic "private key" that can be used to access and move the 8,000 Bitcoin he had mined
The stress of his fruitless search ended James's relationship with his girlfriend
(Image: Lee Howells / SWNS)
The ongoing drama of a man's purported £685million Bitcoin fortune has taken yet another turn. James Howells inadvertently thew away an encrypted hard drive containing the cryptographic private key to 8,000 Bitcoins back in August 2013. At that time, the value of the contents was around £500,000.
With the current valuation of a single Bitcoin at £85,680.17, the lost drive is now estimated to be worth nearly £700m.
On the fateful day that has since overshadowed his life, James had asked his then-girlfriend Hafina Eddy-Evans to take several bags of rubbish to Docksway landfill, close to their residence in Newport, South Wales.
Ever since, he has been on a relentless quest to retrieve the hard disk, and despite circulating reports suggesting he's abandoned his search, the reality is more complicated.
"No, I have not given up," he clarified to The Block, a cryptocurrency news outlet. "The story going around is partially true, but not in the way it's being framed."
James has even raised the prospect of buying the landfill site
(Image: Matthew Horwood, Getty Images)
Should the value of Bitcoin continue its anticipated ascent, James stands to become a billionaire by 2030 – assuming he can unearth the elusive hard disk. To date, the local council has denied him permission to even begin digging at the site.
Newport City Council officials have released a statement estimating that the lost hard drive lies beneath roughly 25,000 cubic metres of waste and soil, which would tip the scales between 110,000 and 200,000 tonnes.
The council has recently unveiled intentions to shut down the site and seal it, a move that would likely dash any remaining hopes James harbours of retrieving his hard drive. The local authority has also obtained planning consent to develop a solar farm on a section of the property.
James Howells has described his lost legal bid to recover the fortune as 'gut-wrenching'
(Image: Lee Howells / SWNS)
James has been actively trying to secure funds to purchase the landfill from Newport City Council, spurred by the increasing value of his Bitcoin wallet.
Identifying himself as "probably one of the first five people to mine Bitcoin," James has extended a multi-million-pound proposal to the council. He's considering a crowdfunding approach to finance the acquisition through the launch of a new "Ordinals-based token."
However, he is yet to receive a response from the council officials.
James outlined the current situation: "Here's where we stand," he said. "If they won't sell, there's no need for a token sale to buy the landfill. I am no longer pursuing the purchase of the landfill, I am no longer pursuing excavation or remediation, I am no longer pursuing dialogue with the council or its representatives."
Hafina took the bag of trash to the site for James
(Image: MEDIA WALES)
James has pledged to donate 10% of any recovered assets to local charitable causes and educational initiatives if the council agrees to collaborate, an amount that could reach approximately $140 million (£105m) by the end of 2025.
He explained the unfortunate series of events leading to his expensive blunder. "I had a clearout of my old IT equipment," he recalled.
"I hadn't used this drive for over three years, I believed I'd taken everything off it... so it got thrown in the bin."
His ex-partner Hafina has verified that she indeed disposed of the bag containing old electronics at the landfill. "Yes, I threw away his rubbish, he asked me to," she confirmed.
"The computer component was discarded in a black sack along with other unwanted items and he pleaded with me to remove it. I had no clue what was inside but I reluctantly dropped it off at the local tip on my way back from the school run."
Hafina later stated that James had "begged" her to dispose of the unwanted items at the tip, and it's not her fault that he misplaced the Bitcoin wallet. Meanwhile, James confessed that he "subconsciously" blames her for the loss of his substantial wealth.
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The Daily Mirror has reached out to Newport City Council for their response.
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