An armed career criminal has been jailed for attempting to break into the London bedroom of Hollywood star Anya Taylor-Joy, where her rockstar husband Malcolm McRae confronted the intruders. Kirk Holdrick, 43, was one of two masked men who smashed their way into the luxury property in February 2023, in a raid prosecutors suggested may have been specifically targeted at the celebrity occupants.
Mr McRae barricaded himself and his wife inside their bedroom, armed only with a lamp, as Holdrick and his accomplice tried to prise open the door with a crowbar. The musician managed to scare off the burglars by shouting, 'I have a gun, I have a gun', Wood Green Crown Court heard. Holdrick and his partner in crime then fled the home empty-handed.
Holdrick, who was already serving a life sentence for previous armed robberies, has now been handed a further three-year prison sentence for the burglary involving Ms Taylor-Joy and her husband. This follows a 12-year sentence he received last November for a separate, more violent home invasion.
Just nine days after the thwarted raid on Ms Taylor-Joy, Holdrick struck again in a second home invasion. Alongside accomplice Ashley Fulton, he disguised himself as a police officer for a raid in Sandbanks, overlooking Poole harbour. During this incident, a woman and her daughter were held at gunpoint, tied up, and threatened with extreme violence, including being burned with an iron and shot dead, if they did not open the family safe.
The Golden Globe-winning actress, 29, known for her roles in The Queen's Gambit, The Witch, The Menu and Peaky Blinders, was staying at the London property on 12 February 2023 with Mr McRae and his musical partner, Kane Ritchotte, when the break-in occurred at about 1am. They heard glass being smashed in a side door, prompting Mr McRae to investigate. Upon seeing Holdrick and another man, both wearing balaclavas and gloves, forcing their way in, the singer and guitarist shouted 'hey, stop' before retreating. He ran back to the bedroom, locked the door, and instructed Ms Taylor-Joy to hide behind the bed. Mr McRae then armed himself with a lamp as the intruders began to force the bedroom door open with a crowbar. After Mr McRae's bluff about having a gun, the thieves appeared to halt their efforts and, following a brief discussion, fled.
When Metropolitan Police officers arrived, Ms Taylor-Joy and Mr McRae remained barricaded inside the damaged bedroom. The couple later told police they had been traumatised by the ordeal and feared being targeted again. CCTV footage showed Holdrick and his accomplice scaling a wall to the home, triggering an external security light, which appeared to startle them as they attempted to break in. Holdrick, who also used the alias Aaron Evans, left his DNA on the back door, and shoe prints from his trainers were found outside the bedroom door. He was arrested on 18 April 2023 after disembarking a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool. Initially denying responsibility, claiming his DNA was present from a previous party visit, he later abandoned his defence and pleaded guilty to burglary in mid-December last year.
