A man’s attempt to secure permission to search a landfill for his hard drive, which contains private keys to 8,000 Bitcoin, has been turned down by the UK Court of Appeals.
In a post on March 14, he expressed his disappointment, stating, “The appeal request to the Royal Court of Appeal: refused.” He went on to comment, “The Great British Injustice System strikes again… The state always protects the state,” and mentioned that his next step would be to appeal to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Judge Christopher Nugee of the Royal Court of Appeal rejected the man’s application, noting that there was no “real prospect of success” and no compelling reason for the case to be heard, as indicated in a March 13 court filing.
This ruling followed a prior dismissal on January 9 by High Court Judge Andrew Keyser, who similarly pointed out that there was “no realistic prospect” for the case to succeed at trial.
In communication with the media, the individual mentioned that his “last legal option” would be at the ECHR, where he intends to assert that the UK High Court and UK Court of Appeal violated his property rights and his right to a fair trial under the ECHR’s relevant articles.
“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!” he declared.
Although the ECHR cannot reverse a UK court’s ruling, a favorable decision for him could prompt UK courts to reassess their interpretations of legislation in light of the ECHR’s standards.
In a separate statement, he announced plans to file a claim with the ECHR in the “coming weeks.”
These court actions follow numerous refusals from the Newport City Council, which have not granted permission for him to search the Docksway landfill – the site where his former partner disposed of a bag containing the hard drive back in 2013.
The 8,000 Bitcoin, currently valued at approximately $660 million, underscores the significance of safeguarding stored crypto assets effectively, especially considering few anticipated Bitcoin would achieve such value.
Time is of the essence as reports suggest the Docksway landfill is likely to close during the UK’s 2025-2026 financial year.