A British businessman was overwhelmed with hammers by masked intruders who broke into his house and threatened to kill his closely pregnant spouse until he handed over a whole lot of hundreds of kilos value of cryptocurrency.
The couple, who’ve requested to stay nameless, advised the BBC that the assault was “horrific” and left them fearing for the lifetime of their unborn little one.
The @BBCNews reviews {that a} #reward of as much as £10,000 is being supplied for info after a younger couple have been attacked of their house and compelled to switch a considerable quantity of #cryptocurrency.
The husband suffered important accidents, and his pregnant spouse was threatened… pic.twitter.com/4D4TBASN99
— CryptoUK (@CryptoUKAssoc) September 25, 2026
Police are investigating the incident, which passed off on the couple’s house in Solihull in December final yr. Crimestoppers is providing a £10,000 reward for info resulting in these accountable.
The assault is being described as a so-called “wrench assault” — a type of bodily coercion more and more related to cryptocurrency holders, by which criminals goal traders on to power them to give up digital property.
{Hardware} Pockets Focused in Newest European Crypto Theft
The person, referred to by the BBC as James, stated three masked males compelled their means into his house and subjected him to a 45-minute assault.
“The door will get pushed open, I can see gloves coming in, balaclavas,” he stated. James tried to combat again however was repeatedly struck within the face, head, and ribs with hammers.
His spouse, who was seven months pregnant on the time, was held down on the couch by one of many attackers. “He’s received a pillow over her face,” James stated. “He’s actually suffocating her on the couch. I can hear her screaming, ‘I can’t breathe’.”
The couple initially didn’t know what the attackers wished. That modified when one of many males demanded that James unlock his cellphone and hand it over.
In response to James, the attackers appeared to know he held cryptocurrency however didn’t know the way to entry his funds. As a substitute, they acquired directions from one other particular person by way of a stay video name.
“I can hear the man on FaceTime saying: ‘Present me every little thing on his cellphone. Present me what apps he’s received’,” James stated. The caller ultimately recognized a cryptocurrency pockets containing a considerable quantity of funds.
The state of affairs then escalated, with James saying the attackers threatened to stab his spouse and kill their unborn little one until he transferred the cryptocurrency.
“He was mainly saying: ‘Look, for those who don’t ship us this cash now, we’re going to stab your spouse within the abdomen and kill your child. We’re going to kill your spouse’,” James stated.
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Lots of of Hundreds in Crypto Stolen from Terrified Couple
James ultimately transferred his cryptocurrency financial savings, value a whole lot of hundreds of kilos, to a pockets managed by the person directing the assault remotely.
The criminals additionally stole a number of luxurious Rolex watches earlier than fleeing in a automobile pushed by a getaway driver. James stated he then heard the person on the video name inform the attackers: “You possibly can have 10 grand every however I’m taking the remaining.”
His spouse, who was in her early thirties and pregnant with the couple’s third little one, stated she feared James had been killed after seeing him mendacity unresponsive on the ground.
“It was terrifying,” she stated. The child survived the ordeal and was subsequently born at full time period.
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Rise in Crypto Theft Assaults, With Europe the Hotbed
Europe is turning into a no-go zone for crypto folks.
Crypto exec’s daughter almost kidnapped in broad daylight again in 2025
Insane.
pic.twitter.com/GWJD7R0OEH
— Gas (@fuelkek) October 3, 2026
The incident highlights the rising bodily safety dangers confronted by cryptocurrency holders as digital property have develop into more and more helpful.
Studies of crypto theft assaults and different types of bodily coercion have emerged within the UK, France and the US, with criminals focusing on traders they consider maintain important cryptocurrency wealth.
Not like conventional financial institution transfers, cryptocurrency transactions could be extraordinarily troublesome to reverse as soon as funds have been despatched to an attacker-controlled pockets. Relying on the asset and circumstances, recovering stolen crypto may show difficult.
The Solihull assault was captured on house safety footage and stays below police investigation.
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