A cybercriminal serving time in prison orchestrated a £2 million cryptocurrency theft from his jail cell, only to be thwarted when his accomplices were caught on a doorbell camera. Robert Barr, 29, directed Sean Favier, 26, and Iain Doyle, 37, to break into two homes in Midlothian while he was imprisoned at HMP Edinburgh. The first raid in January 2024 targeted a cryptocurrency startup co-founder, but the thieves failed to access the digital assets due to a missing PIN. Barr, who was already serving a 21-month sentence for fraud and illegal phone possession, used his knowledge of cryptocurrency to plan the heist.
The second attempt on April 17, 2024, was foiled when the homeowners refused to open the door to two masked intruders. The thieves fled after realizing they were being recorded. Barr's phone, seized in June 2024, revealed his role in organizing the crime, including instructions to remotely access the victims' computers. Prosecutors described Barr as having an 'ability to orchestrate a level of criminality rarely seen within mainstream investigations.'
At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Cubie sentenced Barr to eight years, Favier to four years, and Doyle to five years. The judge noted the crime combined 'computer sophistication with old-fashioned housebreaking.' Barr's lawyer lamented that his client's skills were not used for legal purposes. The attempted theft highlights the growing intersection of cybercrime and traditional burglary in the digital age.