A young couple expecting their third child endured a 45-minute ordeal of violence and terror when three masked men forced their way into their Solihull home, demanding cryptocurrency at hammer-point while a fourth accomplice directed the robbery via video call. The attackers threatened to stab the heavily pregnant woman in the stomach and kill her unborn baby unless the victim — a full-time crypto trader — transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds in digital assets. West Midlands Police and Crimestoppers are now hunting the gang, who fled in a black BMW X3, with a £10,000 reward offered for information leading to convictions.
A calculated ambush on a quiet evening
The couple had just returned to their property in the Smith’s Wood area at approximately 5.20pm on Saturday, 13 December 2025. As they opened their front door, a car parked nearby disgorged three men who rushed the threshold, hammers in hand, faces concealed. Police believe the attack was planned and targeted. The victims, who have asked not to be identified, were not random; the husband had left his job in 2023 to trade cryptocurrency full-time, a detail the perpetrators appear to have known.
What followed was a sustained assault. The man was beaten repeatedly while his wife, weeks from her due date, was pinned to the sofa. One attacker pressed a pillow over her face until she screamed that she could not breathe. Meanwhile, a voice on FaceTime — the fourth member of the crew — barked orders: show me the phone, show me the apps, move the money now.
Threats against an unborn child
The cruelty escalated beyond robbery. According to the victim’s account to the BBC, the man on the video call made the stakes brutally explicit: send the cryptocurrency immediately, or they would stab his wife in the stomach and kill the baby. They would kill her too. The gang also made off with several Rolex watches. The husband, left with significant injuries, later issued a stark warning: “People need to understand these risks are real.”
Crimestoppers released CCTV footage last month showing the three men approaching the property. All are believed to be in their twenties. One is described as a Black man with a small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow. The getaway vehicle, a black BMW X3, was captured leaving the scene.
The anonymity promise
Alan Edwards, Crimestoppers’ West Midlands regional manager, emphasised the charity’s unique role in breaking the wall of silence that often protects violent criminals. “This was a young family, at home, weeks away from welcoming a new baby,” he said. “We understand that speaking up about something like this feels daunting. That’s precisely why our charity exists. We are not the police. We never ask for your name, we can’t trace your IP address, and you will never be asked to give a statement or go to court. In nearly 40 years we have never broken that promise.”
Information can be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website. West Midlands Police continue to investigate.
Why it Matters
This case exposes a chilling new frontier in UK crime: the convergence of digital wealth and physical brutality. As cryptocurrency ownership moves mainstream, criminals are adapting — targeting holders not through hacking, but through home invasion, torture, and threats against children. The involvement of a remote accomplice directing proceedings via video call suggests a level of organisation that treats violence as a managed service. For the victims, the trauma will outlast the stolen assets; for the wider public, it is a grim reminder that digital fortunes can attract very real, very violent consequences.
