Notorious Career Criminal Kirk Holdrick Returned to Prison After High-Profile Crime Spree
With a criminal record stretching back to his teenage years, a life sentence already imposed, and a daring prison escape on his rap sheet, it comes as little shock that Kirk Holdrick has found himself back behind bars. The hardened offender's insatiable appetite for crime was starkly demonstrated during an audacious nine-day rampage, which saw him attempt to break into the bedroom of Hollywood actress Anya Taylor-Joy during an armed raid, before holding a family at gunpoint in their multi-million-pound Sandbanks mansion.
A Life of Crime and Deception
Holdrick, who also operates under the alias Aaron Evans, has led a notably colourful existence, mingling with reality television personalities in what some might interpret as an effort to obscure his tarnished reputation. In September 2022, merely five months prior to executing these high-profile robberies, he was photographed hand-in-hand with The Only Way Is Essex star Hannah Voyan during a night out at the upscale Mayfair restaurant, Sexy Fish. Dressed casually in a white t-shirt and blue jeans, he appeared far removed from the glamorous world of his companions, briefly smiling for the cameras and savouring a taste of freedom after years incarcerated.
Escalating Offences and Terrifying Ordeals
The prolific criminal, originally from Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, first gained notoriety in May 2004 after an attempted armed robbery of a security van and a jewellery store with an accomplice. While on remand five months later, he executed a dramatic escape from HMP Pentonville, scaling a 30-foot wall and navigating razor wire to become the first inmate to break out in a decade. Remaining at large for four weeks, during which he committed three further armed robberies, he was eventually apprehended and handed a life sentence in 2005.
Unable to resist his criminal compulsions, Holdrick has now been recalled to prison to continue serving that life term following his latest transgressions. On February 12, 2023, Holdrick and an accomplice—who remains at large—forcibly entered a luxury London residence where Golden Globe winner Anya Taylor-Joy and her musician husband, Malcolm McRae, were staying. Armed with a crowbar, Holdrick attempted to force open the actress's bedroom door, a move prosecutors suggest indicates the burglars specifically targeted her.
During the harrowing incident, Mr McRae barricaded himself and Taylor-Joy inside a bedroom, successfully frightening off the masked intruders by repeatedly shouting that he possessed a firearm. Although Holdrick fled empty-handed, this setback did not deter him from setting his sights on another affluent target.
Second Invasion in Sandbanks
Just nine days after the London break-in, Holdrick, alongside accomplice Ashley Fulton, launched a second home invasion. Disguised as police officers and armed with an imitation firearm, they targeted the £2.5 million Sandbanks mansion owned by wealthy businessman Mark Aitchison. Here, they held his wife, Kerry, and daughter, Emily, at gunpoint, threatening to burn Emily with an iron and shoot her mother in front of her if they did not disclose the safe code.
Displaying remarkable bravery, Kerry Aitchison, 55, refused to comply, denouncing the robbers as the 'scum of the earth'. Despite this, Holdrick and Fulton proceeded to ransack the property, making off with over £200,000 worth of luxury watches, designer handbags, and cash. However, their incompetence led to a trail of forensic evidence, including DNA left at the scene and vapes recovered from their getaway vehicle.
Investigation and Sentencing
Police traced the getaway car and utilised mobile phone records, which revealed Fulton had Googled the exact model of a rare Patek Philippe watch stolen just two hours after the heist. Online orders for police ID wallets and lanyards, used to deceive their way into the Aitchison home, were also linked to Fulton.
Holdrick was arrested on April 18, 2023, after disembarking a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool. He initially denied involvement in the Taylor-Joy burglary, claiming his DNA was present because he had previously attended a party at the property. In court, it was disclosed that Holdrick has 22 previous convictions for 110 offences, with a history dating back to his youth.
He pleaded guilty in Bournemouth Crown Court to two counts of robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, and fraud. Judge Barbara Mensah sentenced him to 12 years in prison for the Sandbanks robbery, with an additional four years on licence if released, plus a further three-year custodial sentence for the burglary involving Anya Taylor-Joy. These sentences will run concurrently with his existing life term.
During sentencing, prosecutors emphasised the fame of Anya Taylor-Joy and her husband, arguing the raid appeared 'targeted' as Holdrick headed directly for the bedroom rather than pilfering valuable items elsewhere in the home. The Crown Prosecution Service insisted on pursuing the case, contending it may represent part of an escalating pattern of criminal behaviour.
This latest chapter underscores the dangerous and determined nature of a career criminal whose actions have left victims traumatised and fearful for their future safety.
