An ex-girlfriend has reportedly admitted to accidentally throwing away her ex-partner’s hard drive containing 8000 Bitcoin worth Rs 5,900 crore (£569 million). The hard drive was disposed of during a house clearance. It currently lies beneath 100,000 tonnes of waste at a Newport disposal site.
Halfina Eddy-Evans, who shares two teenage children with Howells, said that she disposed of the hard drive at a landfill in Newport, Wales after he told her to do so.
“He begged me to take a bag of rubbish to the tip. I had no idea what was inside. Losing it wasn’t my fault,” she told MailOnline.
Eddy-Evans, however, has renounced any claim to the potential fortune. “I hope he finds it, not that I want a penny. I just want him to stop talking about it,” she said, adding, “It’s not helping his mental health.”
Howells has initiated legal proceedings against Newport City Council for Rs 4,900 crore (£495 million), claiming they are preventing access to the landfill. He remains determined to retrieve the hard drive. “This treasure hunt isn’t going away. The value grows every day,” he told Fortune.
Additionally, he has pledged that if he recover the hard drive he would give 10% of the fortune towards developing Newport into “the Dubai or Las Vegas of the UK”. However, his legal challenge continues, with proceedings scheduled for early December.
Meanwhile, the local authority has consistently rejected his proposals, citing environmental regulations and permit restrictions. “Excavation is not possible under our environmental permit, and such work would have a huge negative impact on the area,” said a spokesperson.