Craig Wright, the Australian businessman who claims he was “Satoshi,” the creator of Bitcoin, has been ordered by a UK judge to appear in court for a contempt hearing.
According to a report from Protos, Wright tried to avoid attending the hearing in person. He said he has autism and plans to spend Christmas in Indonesia, but the judge, Justice Mellor, rejected his reasons.
Attorney David Pearce reported on the hearing, where COPA’s lawyer, Jonathan Hough, argued that Wright’s excuses are ““not remotely convincing.”.
They pointed out that wanting to spend Christmas abroad wasn’t a valid reason to skip court, especially given the importance of the £900 billion case Wright is involved in.
Wright presented evidence from an autism expert, Dr. Kiln, to support his request for virtual attendance. However, COPA accused him of “expert shopping,” suggesting he chose an expert to fit his needs. Justice Mellor instead accepted the opinion of another doctor, who said Wright’s autism didn’t justify missing the hearing.
During the session, Wright attended virtually and raised concerns about social media abuse and fears for his safety, claiming he needed two ex-secret service bodyguards due to being followed.
He also accused the judge of bias, linking him to David Pearce. firmly denied these claims, “I reject in no uncertain terms any allegations of bias,” and clarified that he had only met Pearce twice at official events.
Earlier this month, COPA accused Wright of violating court orders by filing lawsuits against Jack Dorsey’s company and BTC Core. The court found Wright’s reasons insufficient and ruled he must appear in person for the hearing.
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