£10,000 Reward Offered After Solihull Home Invasion
An independent charity is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to progress in a violent cryptocurrency robbery that left a West Midlands businessman beaten with hammers and his pregnant wife threatened at knifepoint.
The targeted raid occurred on December 13, 2025, when three masked men jumped from a vehicle and forced their way into a home in Smith’s Wood, Solihull, according to reports from SWNS. The victims, a young couple expecting their third child, were ambushed as they returned home at approximately 5:20 p.m. according to Crypto Briefing.
Attackers Beat Victim and Threaten Wife
During the home invasion, the husband sustained severe injuries to his head, hands, and ribs after being beaten with hammers. Meanwhile, his wife—who was in her early thirties and weeks away from giving birth—was held down on the sofa and threatened with a knife. The couple later described the ordeal to the BBC as “horrific,” stating they feared for their unborn baby’s life and initially worried the husband had been killed when he lay unresponsive on the floor.
The intruders demanded cryptocurrency, though they appeared to possess little direct knowledge of how to access digital assets. Instead, the attackers relied on instructions relayed in real time by a fourth suspect via a live video call on FaceTime. When the caller identified a crypto wallet containing substantial funds, the threats escalated sharply. According to the husband, the caller on the video link stated that if the transfer was not executed immediately, they would stab his wife in the stomach and kill the baby.
Under extreme duress, the victim transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cryptocurrency to the digital wallet specified by the caller on the video link. Before fleeing, the intruders also stole several luxury Rolex watches. The suspects departed in a getaway vehicle—believed by investigators to be a black BMW X3—driven by a fifth person who waited outside without a face covering.
Global Crypto Robberies Surge
While the vast majority of cryptocurrency thefts occur online through hacks and scams, Chainalysis researchers report that violent robberies—often referred to as “wrench attacks”—have increased. Research indicates that $30 million (£22.6 million) had already been stolen in violent crypto robberies globally up to June of that year, making 2026 on track to become the worst year on record for such incidents.
Experts explain that unlike conventional bank accounts protected by institutional vaults, physical security safeguards do not automatically apply to self-custody cryptocurrency wallets. Because transactions on blockchains are rapid, anonymous, and irreversible, compromised self-custody holdings leave victims with no customer service hotline or bank fraud department to reverse unauthorized transfers.
Police Seek Anonymous Tips
Police have not yet identified the attackers. Authorities and charity officials believe the raid was carefully planned and coordinated by an organized crime network. West Midlands regional manager for Crimestoppers, Alan Edwards, emphasized that the charity operates entirely independently of the police, ensuring that informants remain completely anonymous without needing to give statements or attend court.
Investigators have released limited descriptions of the suspects, who are all believed to be in their late teens or early twenties. One of the attackers is described as a black male with a small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow—a distinct physical detail that Crimestoppers hopes might jog a witness’s memory. Anyone with information regarding the black BMW X3, individuals suddenly appearing flush with cash, or details about the December 2025 burglary is urged to contact Crimestoppers anonymously.