Crypto thieves attack man in home and threaten to kill pregnant wife’s baby in ‘horrific’ robbery
A businessman in Solihull and his heavily pregnant wife were attacked by three masked intruders who beat him with hammers during a 45-minute home invasion in December, threatening to kill his wife and unborn baby unless he transferred his cryptocurrency holdings. The attackers, receiving instructions via FaceTime from an unknown coordinator, forced him to hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds before fleeing in a getaway car. This attack exemplifies a growing global trend of violent "wrench attacks" targeting cryptocurrency investors, who are becoming increasingly attractive targets for criminals exploiting the speed and irreversibility of digital asset transfers.
The attackers also stole several luxury Rolex watches, with their online coordinator telling the on-site men to keep £10,000 each whilst claiming the rest of the cryptocurrency. Despite the ordeal's trauma, the man's wife gave birth to a healthy baby at full term, and Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information. According to Chainalysis, £22.6 million was stolen in violent crypto robberies in the first half of 2026, making this year likely to become the worst on record for such attacks, with home invasions rising across hotspots including the US, Brazil, Thailand and France.
- Businessman forced to transfer hundreds of thousands in cryptocurrency after violent home invasion with death threats.
- "Wrench attacks" on crypto investors surging; £22.6m stolen so far in 2026, tracking to worst year on record.
- Cryptocurrency's irreversibility makes digital asset holders attractive targets for criminals using violence or intimidation.
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Cryptocurrency is digital money that exists only online, such as Bitcoin. Unlike traditional bank transfers, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed once completed, regardless of the circumstances under which they were made.
A "wrench attack" is a violent home invasion where criminals use threats or force to compel victims to transfer their digital assets. These attacks have become increasingly common in recent years as organised criminals target people known to hold substantial amounts of cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency is particularly attractive to criminals because transfers are fast, difficult for authorities to trace, and impossible to reverse. This combination has made violent theft of cryptocurrency a growing problem worldwide, with such attacks rising significantly in recent years.