Robert Barr was sentenced to eight years in prison by the High Court in Glasgow after pleading guilty to involvement in serious organised crime and an attempted theft of up to £2 million in cryptocurrency.
Barr directed the operation from prison, while Sean Favier and Iain Doyle went to the victims’ home. The plot combined remote-access software with a planned home intrusion targeting crypto holdings. The scheme depended on Favier and Doyle gaining entry and pressuring a victim to install AnyDesk, which would have allowed Barr to remotely control the computer and transfer cryptocurrency to addresses under his control.
The attempt failed after the victims refused to open the door. No cryptocurrency was stolen, making the case an attempted theft rather than a completed loss, while highlighting broader crypto scam risks.
Lord Cubie described Barr as the head of the organised crime group and noted a previous cryptocurrency fraud conviction. Favier received four years in prison and Doyle five years after also pleading guilty. Barr’s sentence runs from August 25, 2025, when his previous sentence expired. The next court milestone is consideration of a serious crime prevention order for Barr on November 17, 2026.
