Summary:
£110,000 in cryptocurrency seized from a man involved in a violent robbery.
Prosecutors used proceeds of crime legislation to convert and seize Bitcoin.
Victim was forced to transfer cryptocurrency at machete-point during the assault.
Rennie played a pivotal role in the robbery by providing technical expertise.
This marks the first case in Scotland involving tracing stolen cryptocurrency.
A Groundbreaking Legal Case in Scotland
A man involved in a violent robbery to steal cryptocurrency has had £110,000 seized by the Crown in a Scots legal first. Prosecutors have successfully used proceeds of crime legislation to convert and seize Bitcoin from John Ross Rennie as physical cash.
Rennie, 29, was convicted of possessing stolen goods after a man was forced to transfer Bitcoin during an assault at a home in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, in March 2020. He received a community sentence for being the "technical brains" behind the raid by three men, but denied taking part in the robbery itself.
Court Proceedings
Earlier this year, prosecution lawyers took Rennie, of Cambuslang, to court under proceeds of crime legislation. Judge Lady Ross sought legal authority on how to settle cases involving cryptocurrency. At the High Court in Edinburgh, it was agreed that the 23.5 Bitcoin could be converted into physical cash, totaling £109,601.
The Violent Incident
Delivery driver Rennie had been sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and a six-month supervision order in November last year. His trial revealed that the victim was forced to transfer cryptocurrency after waking up to find a man standing over him with a machete. A woman in the home was also struck with a Toblerone bar and thrown into a bedroom, while one of the attackers made a "throat-slitting gesture" with the bloodied chocolate bar before fleeing.
Rennie was deemed to have played a pivotal role in providing technical expertise on how to transfer the Bitcoin. Police Scotland noted that this was the first robbery in Scotland to involve tracing stolen cryptocurrency. Rennie's lawyer, Marco Guarino, remarked that it has been an unusual case throughout.
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