A British businessman was beaten with hammers by masked intruders who broke into his home and threatened to kill his heavily pregnant wife and their unborn child unless he transferred cryptocurrency worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that the attack was “horrific” and left them fearing for the life of their unborn child.

The @BBCNews reports that a #reward of up to £10,000 is being offered for information after a young couple were attacked in their home and forced to transfer a substantial amount of #cryptocurrency . The husband suffered significant injuries, and his pregnant wife was threatened… pic.twitter.com/4D4TBASN99 — CryptoUK (@CryptoUKAssoc) September 25, 2026

The @BBCNews reports that a #reward of up to £10,000 is being offered for information after a young couple were attacked in their home and forced to transfer a substantial amount of #cryptocurrency .

The husband suffered significant injuries, and his pregnant wife was threatened… pic.twitter.com/4D4TBASN99

— CryptoUK (@CryptoUKAssoc) September 25, 2026

Police are investigating the incident, which took place at the couple’s home in Solihull in December last year. Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to those responsible.

The attack has been described as a so-called “wrench attack,” a form of physical coercion increasingly associated with cryptocurrency holders. In such attacks, criminals target investors directly and use violence or threats to force them to surrender digital assets. Because access to a wallet typically rests with its holder, the aim in these attacks is to force a transfer on the spot.

Three Masked Men Assaulted the Businessman for 45 Minutes

The man, identified by the BBC as James, said three masked men forced their way into his home and assaulted him for 45 minutes.

“The door gets pushed open, I can see gloves coming in, balaclavas,” he said. James attempted to fight back but was repeatedly struck in the face, head and ribs with hammers.

His wife was seven months pregnant at the time and was held down on a sofa by one of the attackers.

“He’s got a pillow over her face,” James said. “He’s literally suffocating her on the sofa. I can hear her screaming, ‘I can’t breathe’.”

The couple initially did not know what the attackers wanted. One of the men then demanded that James unlock his phone and hand it over.

According to James, the attackers appeared to know that he held cryptocurrency but did not know how to access his funds. They received instructions from another individual through a live video call.

“I can hear the guy on FaceTime saying: ‘Show me everything on his phone. Show me what apps he’s got’,” James said.

The caller eventually identified a cryptocurrency wallet containing a substantial amount of funds. The situation escalated after that, with James saying the attackers threatened to stab his wife and kill their unborn child unless he transferred the cryptocurrency.

“He was basically saying: ‘Look, if you don’t send us this money now, we’re going to stab your wife in the stomach and kill your baby. We’re going to kill your wife’,” James said.

Cryptocurrency and Rolex Watches Stolen

James eventually transferred his cryptocurrency savings, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, to a wallet controlled by the person directing the attack remotely.

The criminals also stole several luxury Rolex watches before leaving in a car driven by a getaway driver. James said he then heard the individual on the video call tell the attackers: “You can have 10 grand each but I am taking the rest.”

James’s wife, who was in her early thirties and pregnant with the couple’s third child, said she feared that he had been killed after seeing him lying unresponsive on the floor.

“It was terrifying,” she said. The baby survived the ordeal and was subsequently born at full term.

Reports of Physical Crypto Attacks Continue

Europe is becoming a no-go zone for crypto people. Crypto exec’s daughter nearly kidnapped in broad daylight back in 2025 Insane. pic.twitter.com/GWJD7R0OEH — Fuel (@fuelkek) October 3, 2026

Europe is becoming a no-go zone for crypto people.

Crypto exec’s daughter nearly kidnapped in broad daylight back in 2025

Insane. pic.twitter.com/GWJD7R0OEH

— Fuel (@fuelkek) October 3, 2026

The Solihull incident highlights the physical security risks faced by cryptocurrency holders as digital assets have become increasingly valuable. Reports of crypto robbery attacks and other forms of physical coercion have emerged in the UK, France and the US, with criminals targeting investors they believe hold significant cryptocurrency wealth. The pattern underlines that defenses aimed at online threats do not necessarily extend to in-person coercion, where the goal is to make the holder surrender access directly.

Unlike traditional bank transfers, cryptocurrency transactions can be extremely difficult to reverse once funds have been sent to a wallet controlled by an attacker. Depending on the asset and the circumstances, recovering stolen cryptocurrency can also be challenging.

The Solihull attack was captured on home security footage and remains under police investigation, with Crimestoppers’ £10,000 reward for information leading to those responsible still on offer.