Figure caption, WATCH: Crypto thieves attack man in home and threaten him and his pregnant wife
Warning: This story contains distressing details
A businessman was beaten with hammers by masked men who broke into his home and threatened to kill his heavily pregnant wife unless he transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds of cryptocurrency.
Speaking to the BBC, the couple, who want to remain anonymous, described the attack as "horrific" and said they feared for their unborn baby's life.
The attackers left in a car driven by a getaway driver after the man transferred his crypto savings.
Crimestoppers are offering a £10,000 reward for information in the attack, which was captured on home security footage and is being investigated by the police.
Experts say it is one of a growing type of violent theft known as a "wrench attack" targeting cryptocurrency investors.
As crypto coins have risen in value, reports of these violent robberies linked to digital assets have emerged in the UK, France and the US.
Once funds are transferred, recovering them can be extremely difficult.
The man, who the BBC is calling James, said three intruders forced their way into their Solihull home before launching an assault which lasted 45 minutes.
"The door gets pushed open, I can see gloves coming in, balaclavas," he said.
James tried to fight the men off but they hit him in the face, head and ribs with hammers.
His wife, who was seven months pregnant, was held down on the sofa by one of the criminals.
"He's got a pillow over her face," James said. "He's literally suffocating her on the sofa. I can hear her screaming, 'I can't breathe'."
The couple still had no idea what the criminals wanted until one of the men demanded James unlock his phone and hand it over.
James said the attackers appeared to know he owned cryptocurrency, but had little understanding of how to access it.
Instead, they were taking instructions from someone else connected via a live video call.
"I can hear the guy on FaceTime saying: 'Show me everything on his phone. Show me what apps he's got'," he said.
Image caption, 'James' suffered multiple major injuries to his head, hands and ribs
When the caller identified a crypto wallet containing substantial funds, the threats escalated dramatically.
"He was basically saying: 'Look, if you don't send us this money now, we're going to stab your wife in the stomach and kill your baby. We're going to kill your wife'," James said.
His wife, who also did not want to be named, described the attack that happened in December last year as "horrific" and said she feared James had been killed when he was unresponsive on the floor.
The woman, in her early thirties, was expecting her third child at the time and said she feared she might lose the baby due to the stress of the attack. The baby survived and was born at full term.
The men left after James transferred his savings - hundreds of thousands of pounds of cryptocurrency - to the digital wallet of the man on the video call.
They also stole several luxury Rolex watches.
James said before they left, he heard the man on the video call tell his accomplices: "You can have 10 grand each but I am taking the rest."
Image caption, Crimestoppers hopes people might be able to identify the criminals
Unlike money held in a conventional bank account, cryptocurrency is often controlled directly by the owner through d…