French court sentences crypto holder to 30 months for shooting at home intruders

A French court has sentenced a cryptocurrency holder to 30 months for firing a pistol at men who tried to break into his father’s home in Vendée, after prosecutors argued the shooting was revenge, not self-defence.

The man, identified as Ayman R., also received a 15-year weapons ban and a five-year ban from Vendée, according to French press reports cited by Bitcoin.com News.

Crypto kidnapping attempt follows victim to family home

According to the account presented in court, Ayman R. escaped an initial assault before reaching his father’s residence. He went there to seek shelter and contact the authorities about the people pursuing him.

Roughly 30 minutes later, the same group arrived at the property and attempted to force their way inside. Ayman R. and his father tried to prevent them from entering as the confrontation escalated.

Neighbors reportedly told the court that two hooded men kicked the front door, supporting his account of an attempted intrusion. Their testimony corroborated a central part of the crypto kidnapping victim’s description of events at the house.

Amid the panic, Ayman R. went upstairs and used a Glock pistol to fire at an assailant who, according to his account, had been climbing to gain access. The attackers subsequently fled, leaving a cellphone behind.

The incident occurred on Halloween afternoon, while children were in the street. One bullet struck above a garage door just meters from nearby children, adding to the concerns surrounding his decision to fire.

Prosecutor disputes claim of self-defense

The prosecution’s case focused on whether Ayman R. still faced an immediate threat when he discharged the weapon. Although witnesses described an attempted break-in, vice-prosecutor Olivier Dubief argued that the circumstances had changed before the shot was fired.

“By the time he fired, the gentleman was no longer in danger. The man had come down from the balcony. This is an act of revenge, not self-defense,” Dubief said.

That assessment placed the timing of the gunshot at the center of the case. The prosecution characterised the shooting as reckless retaliation for the crypto kidnapping attempt, rather than an action necessary to stop an ongoing intrusion.

Police also encountered resistance when they entered the residence to take the men into custody, according to the report. Officers recovered the weapon at the scene.

The account therefore describes two connected events: an attempted violent intrusion and the subsequent use of a firearm. The conviction concerned Ayman R.’s response to the attackers.

Earlier crypto kidnapping shapes defense argument

Defense lawyer Jean-Baptiste Colombani pointed to his client’s previous ordeal in 2022, arguing that his cryptocurrency ownership had already made him a target.

“My client has cryptocurrency; we know that there are leaks of this data. Last time, he ended up in a safe in Nantes and was able to escape,” Colombani said.

The lawyer’s statement connected the latest crypto kidnapping attempt with an earlier experience of captivity and escape. His reference to leaked information raised concerns about how criminals might identify cryptocurrency holders, although the supplied report does not establish how the latest attackers obtained information about Ayman R.

The earlier crypto kidnapping formed part of the background presented by the defense. Separately, the report said Ayman R. had been convicted in 2025 over his involvement in a similar incident, without providing further details about that case.

Sentence comes amid wider violence against crypto holders

Beyond the prison term, the weapons prohibition and exclusion from Vendée extend the consequences of the Halloween confrontation for years.

The crypto kidnapping case comes as France faces repeated reports of violence targeting people believed to hold digital assets. According to French authorities cited in the story, more than 70 cryptocurrency-related crimes had been reported by June. That figure covers crypto-related crime broadly and should not be read as a count of kidnappings alone.

Such physical assaults are often described as wrench attacks: criminals use violence or threats to try to gain access to a victim’s cryptocurrency holdings.

In this case, witness accounts supported the report of an attempted break-in, while the prosecution challenged the necessity of firing at that moment. The resulting sentence makes the crypto kidnapping attempt only one part of a case whose outcome turned on the victim’s armed response.