Three men have been sentenced to prison in England after breaking into a Bristol home, assaulting a resident and demanding cryptocurrency in an attempted theft that failed when police arrived at the scene.
Prison sentences after aggravated burglary
Terroll Paul, 31, Mohamed Samagassi, 37, and Pierre Madzou, 30, each pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court. Paul, from Barking in London, received six years in prison. Madzou, also from Barking, was sentenced to five and a half years, while Samagassi, who has no fixed address, received five years.
The three men entered the victim’s home in the early hours of May 15. According to Avon and Somerset Police, they assaulted him and demanded that he transfer a large amount of digital currency. The victim was struck over the head and suffered a serious injury that required hospital treatment.
The attempted theft did not succeed. The victim’s teenage sister alerted police, and officers arrested all three men at the property. The defendants had entered their guilty pleas in August, before being sentenced on October 15.
Police did not disclose the amount of cryptocurrency demanded.
A personal and increasingly violent crypto threat
The incident is an example of what are commonly called “wrench attacks”. Unlike a remote cyberattack, this type of crime involves physically confronting a cryptocurrency holder and using intimidation or violence to try to obtain access to digital assets. Cryptocurrency transactions can be difficult to reverse, making the direct targeting of people who control valuable wallets a serious security concern.
PC Gemma Childs, the investigating officer, said the victim’s sister had shown “extreme bravery”. Her actions, police said, directly led to the arrests and prevented further harm.
In a statement read in court, the victim said the break-in had changed his character. He described himself as previously “bubbly, talkative and outgoing”, but now “tense and apprehensive”.
According to Decrypt, the Bristol case follows other reported UK incidents. Three teenagers were jailed in February over a London wrench-attack robbery involving $4.3 million, while a $10,000 reward was offered last month after a couple in the West Midlands was attacked during a crypto-related home invasion.
Blockchain security firm CertiK said wrench attacks cost victims $124 million worldwide during the first six months of 2026, a twelvefold increase from the same period a year earlier.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar market data at 22:29 on October 19, 2026, showed Ethena (ENA) at $0.1905937342, up 2.69% over 24 hours but down 9.16% over seven days. Polygon (prev. MATIC), now listed as POL, was at $0.0927786642, gaining 2.46% in 24 hours and falling 7.57% over seven days.
Ailey (ALE) stood at $0.267329953, up 0.13% over 24 hours and down 0.2% over seven days, according to Moneyiar data at 22:29 on October 19, 2026. These market movements are separate from the criminal case and do not indicate any connection between the assets and the attempted robbery.
