A masked gang threatened to stab a heavily pregnant woman and kill her unborn child during a brutal cryptocurrency raid at her home in Smith's Wood, Solihull, her husband has revealed for the first time.
The couple, who were expecting their third child, were targeted as they arrived home at around 5.20pm on Saturday, December 13 last year. The husband, who was badly hurt, told the BBC the 45-minute ordeal left him no choice but to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds to the attackers.
Attackers directed by accomplice on video call
The three raiders, all thought to be in their twenties, were directed by a fourth accomplice on a video call who ordered them: "Show me everything on his phone. Show me what apps he's got."
The husband described how one attacker placed a pillow over his wife's face. "He's suffocating her on the sofa. I can hear her screaming: 'I can't breathe,'" he told the BBC.
He said the man on the video call was explicit in his threats: "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.'"
Victim was full-time crypto trader
The victim, an amateur cryptocurrency investor who had earned enough to leave his job in 2023 to trade full-time, also had several Rolex watches stolen from the family home. West Midlands Police confirmed the female victim was threatened with a knife.
"They threatened my wife and my baby," he said. "People need to understand these risks are real."
The Crimestoppers appeal, issued last month, included CCTV footage of the attackers entering the home. The charity said the gang fled in what was believed to have been a black BMW X3.
£10,000 reward offered
A £10,000 Crimestoppers reward is available for information provided exclusively to the charity that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. One attacker was described as black with a small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow.
Alan Edwards, Crimestoppers' West Midlands regional manager, said: "This was a young family, at home, weeks away from welcoming a new baby.
"We understand speaking up about something like this feels daunting. That's why our charity exists. We are not the police. We never ask for your name, we can't trace your IP address, and you will never be asked to give a statement or go to court. In nearly 40 years we have never broken that promise.
"If this has been sitting with you, please pass it on to us to help keep our communities safe. You can help this family without ever saying who you are."
Information can be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through its website.
