A British man who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing bitcoin worth hundreds of millions of dollars has faced another legal setback in his battle to recover it. James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, lost access to about 8,000 BTC in 2013 when he mistakenly threw away a hard drive now believed to be buried in a landfill. Despite repeated efforts to retrieve it, his latest appeal to the Royal Court of Appeal has been refused.

“Appeal request to the Royal Court of Appeal: refused,” he shared on social media platform X on March 14. Howells added:

The Great British Injustice System strikes again… The state always protects the state.

Howells has spent years trying to gain permission to search the landfill, arguing that recovering the hard drive could restore his lost fortune, now valued at over $600 million. He has proposed several solutions, including offering Newport City Council a share of the proceeds, fully funding an environmentally compliant excavation, and even offering to buy the landfill to conduct the search himself. However, the council has consistently rejected his requests, citing environmental concerns and the legal ownership of the landfill’s contents.

A court document dated March 13, which Howells shared on X, confirms the decision was made by the Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Nugee. The ruling states: “Decision: refused.” Lord Justice Nugee explained his reasoning:

I do not consider that the proposed appeal has any real prospect of success. There is no other compelling reason why the appeal should be heard and permission must therefore be refused.

Howells has now vowed to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), writing on X: “Next stop: ECHR.” The ECHR, based in Strasbourg, France, hears cases concerning human rights violations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Despite repeated legal setbacks, Howells remains determined to pursue every available legal avenue in his attempt to recover his lost bitcoin. His decision to escalate the case to an international court signals his continued fight against UK authorities. Whether the ECHR will take up his case remains to be seen.

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