Remember James Howells, the Welshman whose accidental hard drive disposal cost him a fortune – now valued at a staggering $678 million in Bitcoin? After a decade-long saga trying to retrieve it from landfill, he’s just faced another setback. Howells has lost his UK court appeal, but isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. He’s now setting his sights on the European Court of Human Rights.

In a statement shared directly with Protos, Howells revealed a snippet of the official order from Court of Appeal Judge Lord Justice Nugee, issued just yesterday.

Judge Nugee’s decision was clear: he rejected Howells’ request for permission to appeal, stating it didn’t have “any real prospect of success.” He further added there was “no other compelling reason why the appeal must be heard,” effectively shutting down this avenue for Howells in the UK legal system.

However, for Howells, this isn’t the end. “It’s time to take this case to the highest level possible, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR),” he declared after the latest ruling. He confirmed he’ll be exploring all options to appeal to the ECHR, determined to continue his fight.

Read more: Welsh man claims he can pay for landfill dig in search of lost 8,000 bitcoin

Howells firmly believes the UK courts are setting a “dangerous precedent for property rights in the UK” with this case. He argues that his fundamental property rights and his right to a fair trial have been “denied twice by outdated UK courts,” leaving him feeling deeply wronged.

“Even though the courts acknowledge Newport City Council doesn’t actually own my Bitcoin,” Howells explains, “they’ve still ruled that because my hard drive was mistakenly thrown away back in 2013 – by someone else, mind you – the Council now has the absolute power to stop me from getting it back. This completely ignores basic property rights and brushes aside a lot of historical legal examples.”

Expanding on the wider implications, Howells contends, “If this decision stands, it basically means any UK resident who accidentally throws out something valuable, or someone else throws it out for them, can just be permanently blocked from getting it back, with no legal recourse at all.” He stresses the potential ramifications for everyone in the UK.

Howells chance of finding bitcoin: a staggering 1 in 902 million

Let’s rewind a bit. Howells initially lost his case in the UK High Court last January. He quickly followed up with an appeal application, even mentioning he would use a specialized “AI agent” to help navigate the complexities of UK law.

In a somewhat ironic twist, another British individual, Craig Wright, also used AI to draft his UK court appeals. However, Wright faced a hefty £225,000 ($290,000) fine for misusing AI and was warned he had “risked significantly misleading the court.” This highlights the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on AI in legal proceedings.

Adding another layer to this already complex situation, February brought news revealed that Newport City Council is planning to shut down the very landfill site in question by 2026, transforming it into a solar farm. Time may be running out for any physical search.