Prison Cell Turned Command Center for £2 Million Cryptocurrency Plot
On Nov. 10, 2026, Lord Cubie sentenced 29-year-old Robert Barr at the High Court in Glasgow, along with accomplices Sean Favier, 26, and Iain Doyle, 37. According to the official sentencing statement published by Scotland’s judiciary, all three pleaded guilty to involvement in serious organized crime. Barr was sentenced to eight years, Favier to four years and Doyle to five years.
Lord Cubie described the operation as a crime that “married 21st century computer sophistication with old fashioned housebreaking in an audacious attempt to steal cryptocurrency worth up to £2 million.” The scheme targeted a couple in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, whose cryptocurrency holdings included assets linked to a digital currency venture.
Barr, already in prison for cryptocurrency-related fraud, allegedly coordinated the operation using illicit mobile phones. His accomplices were supposed to enter the victims’ home and pressure them to install AnyDesk, a legitimate remote-access application.
The judge described how the plan was meant to work:
“Having control of the couple’s computer, he would input the receiving cryptocurrency address and transfer the cryptocurrency from the couple’s wallet to other accounts in his control, thus taking the value of the cryptocurrency for his own use.”
Investigators retrieved extensive communications from Barr’s phone documenting reconnaissance, surveillance and discussions about possible intimidation or violence.
One message demanded:
“WHEN THEY’RE IN HIS HOUSE GONNA NEED GET HIM ON TO HIS PC FAST N DOWNLOAD ANYDESK RAPID”
An earlier burglary in January 2024 yielded a stolen hardware wallet, but the perpetrators were unable to access the crypto assets. The later attempt took place at about 11:30 p.m. on April 17, 2024, when Favier and Doyle approached the property in dark clothing, their faces concealed. The couple saw them on a doorbell camera and refused to let them in.
Lord Cubie observed that the operation was “only frustrated because the victims had the sense not to open their front door at 11:30 p.m. at night to unknown men, dressed in dark clothing with their faces obscured.” The case comes amid a rise in home invasions and so-called wrench attacks targeting crypto investors.
Judge Rejects Barr’s Defense as Criminal Mastermind Faces More Time in Prison
At sentencing, Lord Cubie rejected Barr’s suggestion that he had been “easily led,”, pointing instead to his leadership role and considerable technical capabilities.
The judge stated:
“You have accepted in the narrative being the head of the organized crime group which carried out the offense and are described as a sophisticated cybercriminal with the ability to orchestrate a level of criminality rarely seen within mainstream investigations.”
Addressing Barr directly, he added:
“Your culpability is high.”
The court also took into account Barr’s prior conviction for cryptocurrency fraud and his willingness to organize another offense while in prison. The judge rejected Doyle’s claim that he had only intended to deliver a telephone, noting that he knew violence was possible. Favier’s role was considered comparatively peripheral.
Neither attempted theft succeeded, but Lord Cubie emphasized the seriousness of the criminal enterprise.
“This was a serious crime, a pre-planned and meaningful, although ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to steal a substantial asset which involved the invasion of the home of the victims, a real potential for violence, and if successful, material assistance in the financing of serious and organized crime,” the sentencing letter states.
Barr’s sentence runs from Aug. 25, 2025, when his previous term expired. Consideration of a Serious Crime Prevention Order was postponed until Nov. 17. The case shows how cryptocurrency theft can go beyond compromised software and involve physical coercion. Despite elaborate preparation and technical expertise, the operation ultimately failed because the intended victims kept their front door closed.
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