CRYPTO TRADER BEATEN WITH HAMMERS AS GANG THREATENS HIS PREGNANT WIFE AND UNBORN BABY
Oct 05, 2026
A brutal home invasion in England has highlighted a disturbing form of cryptocurrency crime in which criminals don't hack a wallet or steal a password remotely — they attack the person who controls the money.
A businessman and his heavily pregnant wife were targeted at their home in Smith's Wood, Solihull, after returning home at around 5:20pm on December 13, 2025. As the couple opened their front door, three masked men reportedly emerged from a nearby vehicle and forced their way inside.
What followed was a terrifying ordeal lasting approximately 45 minutes.
The husband, whom the BBC identified only as “James” to protect the family's identity, said he attempted to fight off the intruders but was repeatedly struck with hammers. He suffered serious injuries to his head, hands and ribs. His wife, who was seven months pregnant with their third child, was threatened with a knife and restrained during the robbery.
But this wasn't a conventional burglary.
According to police, investigators believe the attack may have been planned and specifically targeted at the couple's cryptocurrency holdings. The three men inside the house were apparently receiving instructions from a fourth person through a live video call.
James told the BBC that the person on the call instructed the attackers to examine the applications on his phone. Once they discovered a cryptocurrency wallet containing substantial funds, the violence and threats escalated.
The attackers threatened to kill his wife and their unborn child unless he transferred the cryptocurrency.
Fearing for his family's lives, James eventually transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cryptocurrency to a wallet controlled by the criminals. The gang also stole several expensive Rolex watches before escaping in what investigators believe was a black BMW X3.
Despite the extreme stress of the attack, the couple's baby survived and was later born at full term.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF CRYPTO HACK
The Solihull case is part of a wider phenomenon increasingly known in the cryptocurrency world as a “wrench attack.”
Instead of trying to defeat encryption or compromise a cryptocurrency wallet through malware, criminals use physical violence or threats to force the owner to unlock a device or authorize a transfer themselves.
The idea is brutally simple: sophisticated cryptography may protect a wallet from hackers, but it cannot protect its owner from someone standing in the same room threatening their family.
Research from blockchain intelligence company Chainalysis suggests these attacks are becoming increasingly serious. The company estimates that criminals stole a record $58 million through violent crypto attacks during 2025, while more than $30 million had already been successfully stolen by the middle of 2026. If the trend continues, 2026 could become the worst year recorded for physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders.
Home invasions are also becoming more prominent. Chainalysis found that they represented around 37% of documented violent crypto incidents in 2026, compared with just 14% in 2025. France has experienced an especially dramatic increase, while the United States, Brazil and Thailand have also recorded significant numbers of attacks.
The figures reveal an uncomfortable consequence of self-custody. Cryptocurrency gives an individual direct control over assets without requiring a bank to approve a transfer. That is one of crypto's biggest advantages, but in situations involving physical coercion it can also become a vulnerability. A criminal who forces the legitimate owner to authorize a transaction may be able to move substantial value within minutes.
WHO KNEW ABOUT THE MONEY?
One of the unanswered questions in the Solihull investigation is how the attackers apparently knew their victim owned significant cryptocurrency.
James said he began investing in crypto around 2020 and eventually made enough money to leave his regular job in 2023 and trade full-time. Police have not publicly explained how the criminals identified him, and there is currently no evidence establishing where they obtained their information.
The apparent level of preparation, however, is one reason detectives believe the robbery may have been targeted rather than random. The involvement of a fourth person remotely directing the attackers also suggests a degree of organization.
That question has become increasingly important internationally. Chainalysis says violent crypto robberies frequently involve local victims and signs of prior reconnaissance. France provides an alarming example: investigators there have examined whether stolen personal and financial information about wealthy cryptocurrency owners contributed to a surge in kidnappings and home invasions.
THE ATTACKERS ARE STILL BEING HUNTED
Nearly ten months after the Solihull robbery, those responsible have not been publicly identified.
West Midlands Police and Crimestoppers have released CCTV images of three men investigators want information about. The suspects are believed to have been in their twenties, and police say one had a distinctive small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow.
Crimestoppers is now offering up to £10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
For James, recovering the cryptocurrency is no longer his main concern. His priority is seeing the people responsible brought to justice.
The case carries a wider warning for cryptocurrency holders. The greatest threat to digital wealth is no longer necessarily malware, phishing or an exchange hack. As criminals become increasingly aware that large amounts of cryptocurrency can sometimes be controlled from a phone or hardware wallet, the person holding the keys can become the target instead.
The Solihull robbery shows the darkest side of that shift: when criminals cannot hack the technology, they may attempt to break the human being controlling it.
A businessman and his heavily pregnant wife were targeted at their home in Smith's Wood, Solihull, after returning home at around 5:20pm on December 13, 2025. As the couple opened their front door, three masked men reportedly emerged from a nearby vehicle and forced their way inside.
What followed was a terrifying ordeal lasting approximately 45 minutes.
The husband, whom the BBC identified only as “James” to protect the family's identity, said he attempted to fight off the intruders but was repeatedly struck with hammers. He suffered serious injuries to his head, hands and ribs. His wife, who was seven months pregnant with their third child, was threatened with a knife and restrained during the robbery.
But this wasn't a conventional burglary.
According to police, investigators believe the attack may have been planned and specifically targeted at the couple's cryptocurrency holdings. The three men inside the house were apparently receiving instructions from a fourth person through a live video call.
James told the BBC that the person on the call instructed the attackers to examine the applications on his phone. Once they discovered a cryptocurrency wallet containing substantial funds, the violence and threats escalated.
The attackers threatened to kill his wife and their unborn child unless he transferred the cryptocurrency.
Fearing for his family's lives, James eventually transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cryptocurrency to a wallet controlled by the criminals. The gang also stole several expensive Rolex watches before escaping in what investigators believe was a black BMW X3.
Despite the extreme stress of the attack, the couple's baby survived and was later born at full term.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF CRYPTO HACK
The Solihull case is part of a wider phenomenon increasingly known in the cryptocurrency world as a “wrench attack.”
Instead of trying to defeat encryption or compromise a cryptocurrency wallet through malware, criminals use physical violence or threats to force the owner to unlock a device or authorize a transfer themselves.
The idea is brutally simple: sophisticated cryptography may protect a wallet from hackers, but it cannot protect its owner from someone standing in the same room threatening their family.
Research from blockchain intelligence company Chainalysis suggests these attacks are becoming increasingly serious. The company estimates that criminals stole a record $58 million through violent crypto attacks during 2025, while more than $30 million had already been successfully stolen by the middle of 2026. If the trend continues, 2026 could become the worst year recorded for physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders.
Home invasions are also becoming more prominent. Chainalysis found that they represented around 37% of documented violent crypto incidents in 2026, compared with just 14% in 2025. France has experienced an especially dramatic increase, while the United States, Brazil and Thailand have also recorded significant numbers of attacks.
The figures reveal an uncomfortable consequence of self-custody. Cryptocurrency gives an individual direct control over assets without requiring a bank to approve a transfer. That is one of crypto's biggest advantages, but in situations involving physical coercion it can also become a vulnerability. A criminal who forces the legitimate owner to authorize a transaction may be able to move substantial value within minutes.
WHO KNEW ABOUT THE MONEY?
One of the unanswered questions in the Solihull investigation is how the attackers apparently knew their victim owned significant cryptocurrency.
James said he began investing in crypto around 2020 and eventually made enough money to leave his regular job in 2023 and trade full-time. Police have not publicly explained how the criminals identified him, and there is currently no evidence establishing where they obtained their information.
The apparent level of preparation, however, is one reason detectives believe the robbery may have been targeted rather than random. The involvement of a fourth person remotely directing the attackers also suggests a degree of organization.
That question has become increasingly important internationally. Chainalysis says violent crypto robberies frequently involve local victims and signs of prior reconnaissance. France provides an alarming example: investigators there have examined whether stolen personal and financial information about wealthy cryptocurrency owners contributed to a surge in kidnappings and home invasions.
THE ATTACKERS ARE STILL BEING HUNTED
Nearly ten months after the Solihull robbery, those responsible have not been publicly identified.
West Midlands Police and Crimestoppers have released CCTV images of three men investigators want information about. The suspects are believed to have been in their twenties, and police say one had a distinctive small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow.
Crimestoppers is now offering up to £10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
For James, recovering the cryptocurrency is no longer his main concern. His priority is seeing the people responsible brought to justice.
The case carries a wider warning for cryptocurrency holders. The greatest threat to digital wealth is no longer necessarily malware, phishing or an exchange hack. As criminals become increasingly aware that large amounts of cryptocurrency can sometimes be controlled from a phone or hardware wallet, the person holding the keys can become the target instead.
The Solihull robbery shows the darkest side of that shift: when criminals cannot hack the technology, they may attempt to break the human being controlling it.