TLDR
- Robert Barr, 29, got eight more years for planning a failed £2 million ($2.7 million) crypto theft from prison.
- Two accomplices were jailed for four and five years.
- The plan relied on a remote-access app called AnyDesk.
- The couple targeted saw the men on a doorbell camera and did not open the door.
- A hearing on a Serious Crime Prevention Order is set for Nov. 17.
A Scottish court has sentenced a prisoner to eight more years in jail for planning a crypto theft from his cell. Robert Barr, 29, was sentenced on Nov. 10, 2026, at the High Court in Glasgow. Judge Lord Cubie handed down the term.
A Scottish court jailed Robert Barr for 8 years over an attempted £2M ($2.7M) crypto theft.
Barr, 29, planned to use AnyDesk so he could take over a victim’s computer from prison.
The plot failed when the victims spotted the men on a doorbell camera. #Scotland #Crypto pic.twitter.com/uwCtHv98LV
— John Morgan (@johnmorganFL) November 11, 2026
Two other men were sentenced with him. Sean Favier, 26, received four years, and Iain Doyle, 37, received five years. All three pleaded guilty to involvement in serious organized crime.
How the Plot Worked
Barr was already serving a 21-month sentence at HMP Edinburgh for crypto-related fraud. Court records say he used illicit mobile phones to run the scheme from inside the prison.
The target was a couple in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian. Their crypto holdings were worth up to £2 million, or about $2.7 million.
Barr wanted his accomplices to enter the couple’s home. They were to make the homeowner install AnyDesk, a program that lets a person control another computer from far away.
With that access, Barr planned to enter his own receiving address. He would then move the couple’s crypto into accounts he controlled.
Investigators found messages on his phone that showed surveillance and planning. They also showed talk of possible intimidation or violence. One message urged the men to get the homeowner onto his computer fast.
An earlier burglary took place in January 2024. The thieves took a hardware wallet but could not get into the crypto stored on it.
Why the Attempt Failed
The second attempt came at about 11:30 p.m. on April 17, 2024. Favier and Doyle arrived at the home wearing dark clothing with their faces covered.
The couple saw them on a doorbell camera and refused to open the door. The two men left without getting inside.
Police seized Barr’s phone on June 25, 2024. The messages on it laid out his role and his instructions to the other two men.
Lord Cubie called the crime one that “married 21st-century computer sophistication with old-fashioned housebreaking.” He said the plan failed only because the victims did not open their door.
The judge rejected Barr’s claim that he had been easily led. He said Barr was the head of the group and a skilled cybercriminal.
He also found that Doyle knew violence was possible. He said Favier played a smaller part.
Lord Cubie said Barr’s choice to plan another crime from prison was a “material aggravating factor.” He said the sentence would have been eight years and ten months after a trial.
Barr’s new term runs from Aug. 25, 2025, when his earlier sentence ended. A hearing on a Serious Crime Prevention Order for Barr is scheduled for Nov. 17.
