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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →No. On 9 January 2025, the High Court struck out James Howells’s claim against Newport City Council, ending his attempt through this case to obtain the hard drive or permission to search Docksway Landfill. The ruling was a legal decision about his claim; it was not a trial finding that the drive never existed or that a particular amount of Bitcoin was on it.
What did Howells say happened to his Bitcoin?
According to the account set out in the judgment, Howells said that in August 2013 a hard drive containing the private key to Bitcoin he had mined was mistakenly discarded and taken to Docksway Landfill, which Newport City Council owns and operates. A private key is needed to access Bitcoin held at an address; the drive itself would not be the Bitcoin.
ITV News Wales reported in 2025 that Howells said he had mined 8,000 Bitcoin in 2009. That figure is his claim, not a court-verified balance. Headlines and reports in 2025 put the alleged Bitcoin’s value at more than £600 million or, in Ars Technica’s headline, $765 million. Those were historical headline-era valuations, not current quotes.
What did the High Court decide?
In Howells v Newport City Council [2025] EWHC 22 (Ch), the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts in Wales, Business List (ChD), handed down its decision on 9 January 2025 after a hearing on 3 December 2024. Howells sought declarations that he owned the drive, its delivery or access to excavate for it, and, alternatively, damages for the Bitcoin he said he could not access.
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The judge accepted the council’s argument that the drive became council property when it was delivered to the landfill. The claim was struck out because it showed no reasonable grounds and had no realistic prospect of succeeding at trial. Judge Keyser KC’s conclusion was that the council’s ownership argument “provides a complete answer to the claim,” as reported by The Guardian on 9 January 2025.
A strike-out is not the same as a trial that tests every factual allegation. The ruling did not establish that Howells had or had not mined the claimed quantity, nor that the drive was or was not at the landfill.
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Did the judge let him excavate the landfill?
No. Howells asked for delivery of the drive or permission for an expert excavation, but the court struck out the claim that sought that relief. The reporting reviewed describes a requested search and the dismissal of the claim, not a completed excavation or recovered drive.
The council opposed excavation on the basis that it would risk harm to people and the environment and conflict with its licence from Natural Resources Wales. Those were the council’s stated concerns. Howells’s counsel characterized the proposal as a precise, targeted excavation; the council’s barrister argued that the authority owned the drive and that permits would prevent the search. Those arguments do not amount to independent findings that a search would—or would not—have recovered it.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallWhat do the headline figures mean?
- 8,000 Bitcoin: the amount Howells said he mined, as reported by ITV News Wales in 2025; it was not a court-verified balance.
- 350,000 tonnes: the landfill size reported by ITV News Wales in 2025.
- More than £600 million and $765 million: historical valuations used in 2025 reporting and headlines, not a current valuation.
The figure in a headline describes an asserted quantity multiplied by a Bitcoin price at a particular time. It should not be read as money Howells received, a sum awarded by the court, or proof that the alleged coins could have been recovered.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the ruling means now
The High Court’s January 2025 decision ended this claim to ownership, delivery, excavation access, or alternative compensation. The reporting available does not establish that the drive was recovered. The court’s decision resolves the legal claim described above, not the factual question of what was on the drive or whether it remains at Docksway.
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Primary authority: Howells v Newport City Council [2025] EWHC 22 (Ch).
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