Masked Hammer Attackers Force Crypto Transfer in Solihull Home Invasion

A British businessman was repeatedly struck with hammers by three masked intruders who broke into his family home and threatened to kill his pregnant wife unless he surrendered hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency, the BBC has learned.

The couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, described the December attack at their Solihull property as "horrific" and said they spent the ordeal fearing for the life of their unborn child. Police are still hunting the attackers, and the charity Crimestoppers has announced a £10,000 reward for information that advances the investigation.

The case has drawn attention to a brutal and apparently expanding category of crime that investigators refer to as a "wrench attack" — a violent robbery in which criminals physically coerce a victim into handing over digital assets. Unlike conventional bank holdings, cryptocurrency is typically controlled directly by its owner, and transfers are irreversible once confirmed on the blockchain.

The assailants forced their way into the home and subjected the man, identified by the BBC only as James, to a 45-minute assault. He recalled seeing gloved hands and balaclavas as the door was pushed open, and he attempted to fight the men off before being struck in the face, head and ribs with hammers. Images released as part of the coverage show the scale of his injuries, including a serious head wound that required hospital treatment.

While James was being beaten, his wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was pinned to a sofa by one of the intruders. James said the man pressed a pillow over her face and that he could hear her screaming that she could not breathe. The couple initially had no idea what the intruders wanted.

That changed when one of the men ordered James to unlock his phone and hand it over. According to his account, the attackers seemed aware that he held cryptocurrency but did not appear to understand how to access it themselves. Instead, they appeared to be acting on instructions relayed by someone else through a live video call.

James said he could hear a voice on FaceTime directing the men to examine everything on his phone and identify which applications were installed. When the person on the call located a crypto wallet holding substantial funds, the threats against the couple intensified sharply.

James said the caller warned that unless the money was transferred immediately, the attackers would stab his wife in the stomach and kill both her and the baby. His wife later described the experience as terrifying, saying she believed James had been killed when she saw him lying unresponsive on the floor.

The woman, in her early thirties and pregnant with the couple's third child, said she worried the stress of the attack might cause her to lose the baby. The child survived and was delivered at full term.

The ordeal ended only after James transferred his crypto savings — described as hundreds of thousands of pounds — to a digital wallet controlled by the man on the video call. The intruders also took several luxury Rolex watches before leaving in a car driven by a getaway driver who had waited outside.

James said that as the men departed, he heard the man on the call tell his accomplices they could each keep £10,000, adding that he would take the remainder. The entire episode was captured on home security footage, which investigators are now examining.

According to research by the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, violent crypto robberies have risen sharply in recent years. The company found that $30m (£22.6m) had been stolen in such attacks in the year to June, putting 2026 on course to become the worst year on record for violent crypto crime. Home invasions specifically are also increasing, the research indicates.

The United States, Brazil and Thailand have been identified as hotspots, but France has recorded by far the largest number of attacks. Researchers attribute that concentration to a data breach at a tax office that appears to have enabled criminals to locate wealthy cryptocurrency holders.

Analysts say the underlying problem is structural. Safeguards that protect traditional wealth, such as bank vaults and armoured vehicles, do not automatically extend to crypto. Holders frequently store assets in comparatively low-security arrangements, including self-custody wallets, which can be compromised without any institutional gatekeeper intervening.

James said he began investing in cryptocurrency as an amateur in 2020 and made enough money to leave his job in 2023 to trade full time. He has now lost everything and is seeking to return to conventional employment.

Police have not yet identified the attackers. Crimestoppers is appealing for help in tracing the three men, the driver who remained outside without a face covering, and the individual who directed the operation by phone.

Alan Edwards, of Crimestoppers, said the perpetrators were clearly serious criminals connected to an organised gang. He acknowledged that potential witnesses may be frightened of coming forward but stressed that the charity operates independently of the police and guarantees complete anonymity.

The three attackers are believed to be in their late teens or early twenties. One is described as a black male with a scar beneath his left eyebrow. James said he holds little hope of recovering the stolen funds and would rather see those responsible brought to justice.