Share this article

UK Jails Crypto Miner for 13 Months for Stealing Electricity: Report

The Crown Prosecution Service described the case as “highly unusual.”

Updated May 11, 2023, 5:21 p.m. Published Oct 14, 2021, 11:55 a.m.
(Shutterstock)

A crypto miner in the U.K. county of Leicestershire has been jailed for 13 months for stealing £32,000 ($44,000) of electricity to operate bitcoin mining machines.

  • Sanjay Singh, 40, pleaded guilty to bypassing electrical mains to power mining machines at two sites, local news outlet Leicester Mercury reported Thursday.
  • An inspection showed that Singh had manipulated the wiring to abstract electricity to an unmetered fuse box to run more than 200 devices.
  • Such a method is not an uncommon criminal activity, but is more frequently carried out to support criminal activities such as growing cannabis, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) noted.
  • “This is a highly unusual case,” Andrew Baxter of the CPS said. “Bitcoin mining is a legitimate legal enterprise.”

Read more: UK Police Raid Suspected Cannabis Factory, Find Bitcoin Mining Operation

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today. See all newsletters

More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

More For You

Ukraine banned Polymarket and there’s no legal way for it to come back

Kyiv in Ukraine (Glib Albovsky/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)

Polymarket and similar platforms are considered unlicensed gambling operators, leading to blocked access.

What to know:

  • Ukraine has no legal framework for Web3 prediction markets, and current legislation provides no recognition for such platforms.
  • Polymarket and similar platforms are considered unlicensed gambling operators, leading to blocked access.
  • Legal changes are unlikely in the near future, as Parliamentary revisions to gambling definitions are extremely improbable during wartime, leaving prediction markets in a legal deadlock.