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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin: Newport man wants to buy tip where he lost £620m fortune | Bitcoin: Newport man wants to buy tip where he lost £620m fortune |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| James Howells tried to sue Newport council to gain access to the landfill site | James Howells tried to sue Newport council to gain access to the landfill site |
| A computer engineer who lost £620m-worth of Bitcoin wants to buy the tip where he believes it was buried. | A computer engineer who lost £620m-worth of Bitcoin wants to buy the tip where he believes it was buried. |
| James Howells, from Newport, claimed his ex-girlfriend mistakenly chucked out a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins in 2013. | James Howells, from Newport, claimed his ex-girlfriend mistakenly chucked out a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins in 2013. |
| He tried to sue the city council to get access to the site on Newport's Docks Way, or get £495m in compensation, but his case was dismissed by a judge. | He tried to sue the city council to get access to the site on Newport's Docks Way, or get £495m in compensation, but his case was dismissed by a judge. |
| Newport council said it was making no further comment on the matter. | Newport council said it was making no further comment on the matter. |
| The authority is planning to close the tip in the 2025-26 financial year. | The authority is planning to close the tip in the 2025-26 financial year. |
| It has planning permission for a solar farm on the land, expected to power the council's new bin lorries. | It has planning permission for a solar farm on the land, expected to power the council's new bin lorries. |
| Mr Howells said: "The council planning on closing the landfill so soon is quite a surprise, especially since it claimed at the High Court that closing the landfill to allow me to search would have a huge detrimental impact on the people of Newport, whilst at the same time they were planning to close the landfill anyway." | Mr Howells said: "The council planning on closing the landfill so soon is quite a surprise, especially since it claimed at the High Court that closing the landfill to allow me to search would have a huge detrimental impact on the people of Newport, whilst at the same time they were planning to close the landfill anyway." |
| The landfill holds more than 1.4m tonnes of waste. | The landfill holds more than 1.4m tonnes of waste. |
| Mr Howells believes the hard drive is in an area of 100,000 tonnes. | Mr Howells believes the hard drive is in an area of 100,000 tonnes. |
| "I would be potentially interested in purchasing the landfill site," he said. | "I would be potentially interested in purchasing the landfill site," he said. |
| The value of Bitcoin fluctuates but Mr Howells' coins are said to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds | The value of Bitcoin fluctuates but Mr Howells' coins are said to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds |
| "I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very much on the table." | "I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very much on the table." |
| Mr Howells also wants to appeal against the judge's decision to throw out his case. | |
| The judge said there were no grounds for the claim and "no realistic prospect" of succeeding at trial. | The judge said there were no grounds for the claim and "no realistic prospect" of succeeding at trial. |
| He ruled too much time had passed between the hard drive being lost and the claim being brought. | He ruled too much time had passed between the hard drive being lost and the claim being brought. |
| What is Bitcoin? | What is Bitcoin? |
| Bitcoin is often described as a cryptocurrency, a virtual currency or a digital currency; it is a type of money that is completely virtual - there are no physical coins or notes. | |
| You can use it to buy products and services, but not many shops accept Bitcoin. | You can use it to buy products and services, but not many shops accept Bitcoin. |
| In China it is illegal to trade or mine Bitcoin and its use is restricted in countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. | In China it is illegal to trade or mine Bitcoin and its use is restricted in countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. |