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The Glasgow court sentenced Robert Barr, 29, to eight years in prison for organising an attempted cryptocurrency theft worth about $2.7 million. From inside prison, he had planned to gain remote access to the asset owner’s computer using accomplices who were to break into the house and force the victim to install AnyDesk.
The plan failed because the homeowners saw the strangers on the intercom camera and did not open the door. Alongside Barr, Sean Favie, 26, and Ian Doyle, 37, pleaded guilty to participation in an organised criminal activity. They received, respectively four and five years of imprisonment. The sentences were handed down on November 10.
According to the scheme outlined by the court, Favie and Doyle were to enter a couple’s house near Edinburgh and force the man to download AnyDesk. This program allows remote control of a computer and is usually used for technical support and file sharing. Barr intended to connect to the device from prison and transfer the cryptocurrencies to addresses he controlled.
The accomplices arrived at the house around 23:30 on 17 April 2024. They were dressed in dark clothing and concealed their faces. The homeowners noticed them on the camera and communicated with them via the intercom, without letting them in. The perpetrators were unable to penetrate the residence and left shortly afterwards. Judge Lord Cubie highlighted that the participants’ conversations revealed that they intended to resort to threats or violence. In his assessment, the scheme combined computer technology with a traditional burglary attempt.
The preparation lasted several months. The participants investigated who owned cryptocurrencies, collected photographs and information about the house’s location, studied the environment, and discussed the timing of the visit. Reconstructing the preparation timeline was aided by Barr’s phone, seized in June 2024. It contained messages about coordination among the accomplices and the technical aspects of the planned theft.
The victim was a co‑founder of a cryptocurrency startup. He had not made his holdings public, but most of the social‑media accounts he used were linked to cryptocurrencies. His home had already been targeted by criminals. In fact, in January 2024, Barr’s accomplices had stolen a cryptocurrency wallet from there. They could not take the assets because they lacked both the PIN and the recovery phrase.
At the time of the crime’s preparation, Barr was serving a 21‑month sentence in Edinburgh prison for fraud. The court considered aggravating factors, including the repeat nature of the offence and the organisation of a new scheme while incarcerated using illegal communication means. The prosecution described Barr as a technically proficient cybercriminal capable of coordinating complex operations.
This case can be seen as a failed wrench attack — a physical assault on cryptocurrency owners to force them to transfer funds. According to Chainalysis data, in the first half of 2026, similar attacks resulted in over $30 million being stolen.
