In March 2020, John Ross Rennie and his accomplices invaded a home in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, forcing the victim to transfer Bitcoin. This marks the first Scottish case of crypto theft where stolen assets were tracked and seized.
Bitcoin Theft in Lanarkshire
In March 2020, John Ross Rennie and his accomplices invaded a home in Blantyre, Lanarkshire. Rennie's accomplices threatened the victim with a machete, compelling them to transfer Bitcoin.
John Ross Rennie’s Punishment
John Ross Rennie, the technical mastermind behind the attack, was sentenced to 150 hours of community service. The authorities seized 23.5 Bitcoin from Rennie, marking the first case in Scotland of tracked and seized stolen cryptocurrency. The High Court in Edinburgh ordered the Bitcoin to be converted into cash worth about £110,000.
Victims of the Attack
Another home occupant was attacked with a Toblerone chocolate bar. According to the BBC: "A woman in the home was repeatedly struck with a Toblerone bar and thrown into a bedroom. One of the three men involved made a throat-slitting gesture with the bloodied chocolate bar before fleeing the scene."
This case highlights the growing threat of violent cryptocurrency thefts. The difficulty of tracking and recovering stolen digital assets makes such crimes particularly dangerous.
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