Bristol Crypto Wrench Attack Fails After Teen Alerts Police
Suspects traveled from London to target a homeowner but were caught at the scene when his sister dialed 999.
A teenager calling police during a home invasion in Bristol, England, stopped three men from stealing cryptocurrency and led to their arrest at the scene, Avon and Somerset Police said Friday. The attackers beat the homeowner over the head and demanded digital currency but left empty-handed.
Terroll Paul, 31, Mohamed Samagassi, 37, and Pierre Madzou, 30, forced entry into the residence in the early hours of May 15. They assaulted the victim, who required hospital treatment for a substantial head injury. His teenage sister contacted authorities while the break-in was underway. Officers arrived and detained all three suspects inside the property.
Paul and Madzou, both of Barking in London, and Samagassi, listed as having no fixed address, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary in August. Bristol Crown Court sentenced them Thursday. Paul received six years. Madzou got five and a half years. Samagassi was handed five years.
“Before, I was bubbly, talkative and outgoing but now I would describe myself as tense and apprehensive,” the victim told the court in a written statement. Investigating officer PC Gemma Childs credited the sister’s actions with preventing further harm.
Police did not disclose the amount of cryptocurrency the group demanded or identify which digital assets were targeted.
Physical robberies targeting crypto holders — known in the security industry as wrench attacks — have escalated sharply. Blockchain security firm CertiK reported that such attacks cost victims $124 million globally in the first six months of 2026, a twelvefold increase year-on-year. Unlike digital hacks, these crimes bypass encryption entirely by threatening the person holding the private keys.
UK courts have processed several similar cases this year. In February, three teenagers were jailed following a $4.3 million crypto robbery in London captured on police body cameras. Last month, authorities offered a $10,000 reward for information after a couple in the West Midlands was attacked during a home invasion aimed at their digital holdings.
