TechFlow News, May 23: UK police announced that five individuals have been sentenced in a “wrench attack” case targeting cryptocurrency holders. The suspects met the victim at a bar in Shoreditch, London, in July 2025, then forcibly took him to his home, where they used physical threats and facial recognition verification to compel him to access his bank and cryptocurrency accounts—stealing over £10,000 in cash, cryptocurrency, and watches.
During the investigation, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase reported suspicious activity on the victim’s account to police, who subsequently identified and arrested the suspects. The court sentenced four principal offenders to prison terms ranging from three-and-a-half to six-and-a-half years; a fifth individual received a community service order for money laundering. Police stated that the case inflicted long-term psychological trauma on the victim and his family, highlighting the rising risk of offline violent crime targeting cryptocurrency asset holders.
