Three Men, Five Years Each, Zero Coins: Bristol Wrench Attack Trio Sentenced 🔐

Three men who forced their way into a Bristol home in May and assaulted a man in a failed attempt to steal his cryptocurrency have been sentenced to a combined 16.5 years in prison, Avon and Somerset Police said. Terroll Paul, 31, Mohamed Samagassi, 37, and Pierre Madzou, 30, broke into the victim's home in the early hours of May 15, 2026, assaulted him and demanded he hand over a large amount of digital currency. The victim was hit over the head, suffering a substantial injury that required hospital treatment.

The victim's teenage sister alerted police, and all three men were arrested at the scene. They pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary in August. At Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, Paul, of Barking in London, received six years, Madzou, also of Barking, five and a half years, and Samagassi, of no fixed address, five years. PC Gemma Childs, the investigating officer, said the sister showed "extreme bravery," adding that her actions led directly to "the apprehension of the offenders and preventing her brother from further harm." In a statement read in court, the victim said the break-in had changed him: "Before, I was bubbly, talkative and outgoing but now I would describe myself as tense and apprehensive." The police did not disclose how much cryptocurrency the men demanded.

The case is the latest in a series of so-called "wrench attacks" in the UK, in which criminals target crypto holders in person. In February, three teenagers were jailed over a $4.3 million wrench attack robbery caught on police video in London. Last month, Crimestoppers offered a reward of up to £10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction after a West Midlands couple was attacked in a crypto home invasion, an attack police believe was planned and targeted, in which a fourth person relayed instructions over a video call.

According to blockchain security firm CertiK, wrench attacks cost victims $124 million globally in the first six months of 2026, a twelvefold increase year-on-year.