A woman from Wales has found herself at the centre of a multi-million pound Bitcoin saga after mistakenly throwing away her ex-partner’s old hard drive. Halfina Eddy-Evans revealed that she took the hard drive to a local dump, unaware that it contained a staggering 8,000 bitcoins mined by her former partner, James Howells, back in 2009. The bitcoins are now valued at an astonishing £569 million, leading to a legal battle as Howells seeks permission to search for the lost digital fortune in a landfill site in Newport.
Eddy-Evans recounted the incident, explaining that she thought she was disposing of her ex-partner’s unwanted belongings as he had asked her to do so. She shared that she dropped off the hard drive at the tip without knowledge of its contents, hoping to help out but unknowingly discarding a fortune. Despite the separation, Eddy-Evans expressed her desire for Howells to recover the bitcoins not for her benefit, but to put an end to the ongoing discussions surrounding the lost wealth that she is now “sick and tired of hearing about.”
James Howells, now 38, is determined to retrieve the lost bitcoins and has taken legal action against the Newport City Council to allow him to search the landfill site where the hard drive is believed to be buried under tons of rubbish. The digital ‘key’ to the Bitcoin fortune is the focus of his efforts, with the fortune estimated at an eye-watering £569 million. Howells has even vowed to donate 10 per cent of the recovered wealth to his local community as he continues his pursuit of the lost fortune.
Eddy-Evans shared her conflicting emotions on the matter, acknowledging the impact on Howells’ mental health but also suggesting that perhaps it is time to move on from the lost bitcoins. She made it clear that she has no intention of claiming any of the potential wealth, stating her disinterest in any financial gain from her ex-partner’s fortune. The ongoing saga has prompted the Newport City Council to respond, emphasizing that they have been contacted multiple times since 2013 regarding the possibility of retrieving the hard drive but have declined due to environmental concerns and permit restrictions.
The council maintained that excavation of the landfill site is not feasible under their permit and would have negative environmental repercussions. Despite Howells’ persistence, the council asserted that his claim has no merit, and they are vehemently opposing his efforts to recover the lost bitcoins. As the legal battle ensues and the search for the digital fortune continues, the story of the accidental disposal of £569 million worth of bitcoins by Eddy-Evans serves as a cautionary tale and a reminder of the unpredictability and volatility of cryptocurrency investments.
