Woman Mistakenly Threw Away Her Boyfriend’s Bitcoin Fortune, Worth a Staggering £569 Million

A woman who accidentally threw away the key to her then-boyfriend’s enormous £569 million Bitcoin fortune has spoken out, saying the whole situation wasn’t her fault.

Most of us have probably thrown away something important by mistake, like a receipt or a document we later needed. But few people can imagine losing something as valuable as a fortune worth over half a billion pounds.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to James Howells, a 39-year-old from Newport, Wales. Back in 2009, James mined 8,000 Bitcoins using his computer. At the time, Bitcoin wasn’t worth much, and he didn’t think much of it. He later removed the hard drive holding his digital Bitcoin key when upgrading his computer, putting it into a desk drawer for safekeeping.

Years later, in 2013, the hard drive was accidentally thrown out during a cleanup. James’ then-girlfriend, Halfina Eddy-Evans, took the hard drive and other items to the local landfill site at his request. She has since revealed that she didn’t throw it away on her own but was just following James’ instructions.

The hard drive ended up at Newport’s Docksway Landfill site, buried under tons of trash. When James realized what had happened, it was already too late. Today, Bitcoin has skyrocketed in value, making the 8,000 Bitcoins stored on that hard drive worth around £569 million.

This has turned Newport into the location of what might be the most expensive treasure hunt in the world. James believes he knows the exact spot in the landfill where the hard drive is buried, but recovering it is a massive challenge.

For over a decade, James has been trying to get permission from Newport City Council to dig up the landfill and search for his lost hard drive. However, the council has refused his requests, saying that an excavation would cause serious environmental damage and isn’t allowed under its current licensing permits.

James has made multiple offers to the council to try and get them on his side. At one point, he even promised to give 25% of the recovered Bitcoin fortune—worth tens of millions of pounds—to fund local projects in Newport. More recently, he reduced the offer to 10%, which would still be a huge sum of money for the town.

Despite this, the council continues to deny his requests. In response, James has launched legal action against the council, suing them for nearly £495 million. He claims the council is withholding his property and not allowing him to search for it.

James’ ex-girlfriend, Halfina Eddy-Evans, has now spoken out about the situation. She told reporters that she threw the hard drive away only because James had asked her to. “He told me there was a bag of rubbish to take to the tip, and I was just helping him out,” she explained.

She added that she hopes James eventually finds the hard drive, so he’ll stop bringing the subject up. “I’d love nothing more than for him to recover it,” she said. “I’m sick and tired of hearing about it. Losing it wasn’t my fault.”

James, however, disagrees. He has claimed that the hard drive wasn’t supposed to end up in the landfill and that Halfina threw it away without his full permission or understanding of its importance.

James has argued that he still owns the digital property stored on the hard drive and should be allowed to recover it, even if it’s buried in the landfill. He insists he’s willing to pay all the costs of the excavation himself and has assembled a team of wealthy investors to help fund the operation.

The council, however, remains firm in its position. A spokesperson for Newport City Council said, “Mr. Howells has brought a civil claim against the council for a sum in the region of £0.5 billion. The claim has no merit, and the council is vigorously resisting it.”

James has said he is open to avoiding court action if the council agrees to work with him, but he insists they need to act quickly and stop delaying. He believes the Bitcoin fortune is now worth even more—possibly £1 billion by next year due to rising cryptocurrency prices.

James is determined to continue his fight, despite the council’s opposition. He argues that recovering the Bitcoin could bring enormous benefits to the local community, including millions of pounds for public projects. However, the council is concerned about the environmental impact of digging through 1.4 million tonnes of waste at the landfill site.

Meanwhile, James’ story has gained international attention as an example of how digital currencies like Bitcoin can create unexpected challenges—and incredible opportunities. Whether or not James ever recovers his fortune, one thing is clear: the story of the lost Bitcoin hard drive is one for the history books.