Scotland jails Robert Barr for 8 years over £2 million crypto theft plot run from prison
In brief
- Robert Barr, 29, was jailed for eight years by Scotland's High Court of Justiciary.
- Barr directed the plot from HMP Edinburgh using an illicit mobile phone.
- Accomplices Sean Favier and Iain Doyle received four and five years respectively.
- The stolen hardware wallet stayed locked because the thieves had no PIN or recovery phrase.
Barr pleaded guilty alongside two accomplices, Sean Favier, 26, and Iain Doyle, 37. All three admitted involvement in serious organised crime connected to the attempted theft, according to Crypto Briefing's report on the sentencing statement. Favier got four years. Doyle got five.
Prosecutors described Barr as the mastermind. He stayed in prison (he was already serving a 21-month sentence for earlier crypto-related fraud) while Favier and Doyle carried out the physical side of the operation.
Two attempts, no coins
The first raid came in January 2024. The intruders got into the property and took a hardware wallet, a small physical device that stores the private keys controlling crypto holdings.
That's where it stalled. The thieves didn't have the PIN or the recovery phrase, so the assets stayed out of reach.
The crew came back in April 2024. This time the victims saw the men on their doorbell camera and refused to open the door, and the intruders fled.
Neither attempt got them the funds.
The target and Barr's record
The target was a co-founder of a crypto startup who hasn't been publicly identified. The victim had reportedly been active in digital assets since around 2014, and their holdings reportedly included approximately £1 million in a token they'd created, alongside other crypto assets. No specific blockchain or token has been named in the case.
Barr's prison record didn't stop at the fraud conviction. He'd also received additional time for possessing illicit phones in jail, and he faces separate extradition proceedings in the US connected to larger alleged fraud schemes.
In its coverage, Crypto Briefing noted that physical coercion attempts against crypto holders are often called wrench attacks in the crypto world. It's a label for a risk that sits outside the blockchain entirely (at the front door, not on-chain).
Frequently asked questions
Why couldn't the thieves access the crypto in the stolen hardware wallet?
A hardware wallet is a small physical device that stores the private keys controlling crypto holdings. The thieves who took it in January 2024 had neither the PIN nor the recovery phrase, so the assets stayed out of reach.
What sentences did Robert Barr and his accomplices receive?
Scotland's High Court of Justiciary jailed Robert Barr for eight years. His accomplices Sean Favier and Iain Doyle received four-year and five-year sentences respectively, after all three admitted involvement in serious organised crime connected to the attempted theft.
