Three men jailed over Bristol home invasion in failed crypto theft attempt
In brief
- Terroll Paul, Mohamed Samagassi and Pierre Madzou were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on October 15.
- Paul received six years, Madzou five and a half, and Samagassi five, police said.
- The victim's teenage sister alerted police; officers arrested all three men at the scene.
- Wrench attacks cost victims $124 million globally in the first half of 2026, according to CertiK.
What happened in Bristol
The men broke into the victim's home in the early hours of May 15, assaulted him and demanded a large amount of digital currency, according to the police account reported by Decrypt. He was hit over the head. The injury was serious enough that he needed hospital treatment.
It didn't get any further than that.
The victim's teenage sister alerted police, and all three men were arrested at the scene. PC Gemma Childs, the investigating officer, said the sister showed extreme bravery and that her actions led directly to the offenders' apprehension. (Police didn't say how much crypto the men had demanded, so there's no figure on what was at stake.)
The sentences
Paul, of Barking in London, received six years in prison, police said. Madzou, also of Barking, got five and a half years, while Samagassi, who's of no fixed address, was handed five years. In a statement read in court, the victim said the break-in had changed him.
"Before, I was bubbly, talkative and outgoing but now I would describe myself as tense and apprehensive," he said.
A run of UK wrench attacks
Decrypt described the case as the latest in a string of so-called wrench attacks in the UK, in which criminals target crypto holders in person. In February, three teenagers were jailed over a $4.3 million wrench attack robbery in London that was caught on police video. Last month, a $10,000 reward was offered after a West Midlands couple was attacked in a crypto home invasion, Decrypt reported.
The global numbers aren't small either. Blockchain security firm CertiK said wrench attacks cost victims $124 million worldwide in the first six months of 2026, which it put at a twelvefold increase year-on-year.
In Bristol, the police account gives the credit to one person. The victim's sister alerted officers and all three men were arrested at the scene (PC Childs said her actions led directly to their apprehension).
