Scottish Court Jails Robert Barr Eight Years for £2 Million Crypto Theft Plot

The High Court in Glasgow sentenced Robert Barr to eight years in prison on Tuesday, Nov. 10, for organizing a plot to steal up to £2 million in cryptocurrency from a couple in Midlothian — roughly the value of ten average UK homes. Barr, 29, directed the attempt from inside a prison cell while serving an earlier fraud sentence.

Two associates received shorter terms. Sean Favier, 26, got four years, and Iain Doyle, 37, received five. All three pleaded guilty to involvement in serious organized crime connected to the attempted theft.

The scheme was technical rather than physical at its core. Prosecutors said the plan called for Favier and Doyle to enter the couple's home and persuade one resident to download AnyDesk, a legitimate remote-access program. Barr intended to use that connection to control the computer and move cryptocurrency from the couple's wallet into accounts he controlled.

How did the plot fail?

The two men arrived at the property at about 6:30 p.m. ET on April 17, 2024. A doorbell camera captured them on the doorstep. The residents answered through the intercom and challenged the pair, who left without entering. The planned computer access never took place.

That single exchange defeated months of preparation. Court proceedings established that Barr's planning included identifying the couple as cryptocurrency holders, surveillance, and reconnaissance of the property. Messages between the conspirators contemplated threats or violence, according to prosecutors.

What made the sentence heavier?

Barr's eight-year term runs from Aug. 25, 2025 — the date his previous 21-month sentence for a similar cryptocurrency fraud expired. The judge treated Barr's use of illicit communications to organize the offense from prison as an aggravating factor. In plain terms, running a robbery plot on a prison phone added time.

Prison officers seized Barr's phone roughly two months after the attempted entry, prosecutors said, and found messages linking him to the plan. Lord Cubie told Barr directly: "Your culpability is high."

The case fits a wider pattern of targeting identified crypto holders through home invasion and remote-access tools rather than exchange hacks. AnyDesk and similar programs have repeatedly appeared in such cases because a single installation grants an attacker full control of a victim's machine, including browser-based wallet access. The homeowners here avoided loss only because they answered the intercom.

What happens next?

The court postponed consideration of a Serious Crime Prevention Order against Barr until Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 4:30 a.m. ET. Such orders can impose long-term restrictions on a convicted person's activities, finances, and communications after release. Whether one is imposed will determine how closely authorities monitor Barr once his eight-year term ends.