Overview

• Paul Chowles received a five-and-a-half-year sentence at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting theft, transferring criminal property and concealing criminal property.
• The former NCA intelligence officer diverted 50 Bitcoin from Thomas White’s seized retirement wallet in May 2017 and routed the funds through the mixing service Bitcoin Fog.
• Prosecutor Craig Hassall told the court the stolen Bitcoin was worth just under £60,000 in 2017 and has since appreciated to more than £4 million, with Chowles cashing in about £145,000.
• Judge David Aubrey ordered the seizure of nearly £470,000 in Bitcoin recovered from Chowles and emphasised the serious breach of public trust by an elite investigator.
• Chowles was dismissed for gross misconduct and the case has prompted calls for stronger controls and specialist expertise in handling cryptocurrency evidence.