Man Sentenced for Attempted Break-In at Anya Taylor-Joy's London Residence
A man has been sentenced for breaking into a London mansion where actor Anya Taylor-Joy was staying and attempting to force his way into her bedroom using a crowbar. Kirk Holdrick, 43, along with an accomplice, smashed their way into the property in the early hours of 12 February 2023 while wearing balaclavas.
Confrontation and Barricade
The intruders were confronted by Taylor-Joy's husband, Malcolm MacRae, who had gone to investigate the sound of breaking glass. MacRae quickly ran back to the bedroom, barricading himself and his wife inside, armed only with a lamp, as the raiders tried to prise open the door. CCTV footage captured Holdrick and his accomplice climbing a wall to the home and becoming startled when they triggered a security light.
Flight and Further Crimes
Wood Green Crown Court heard that the pair fled after MacRae claimed to have a gun. Prosecutors believe they may have been specifically targeting the Hollywood star, known for productions such as The Queen's Gambit and the Dune films. Taylor-Joy and her husband were still barricaded inside when police arrived.
Just nine days later, Holdrick broke into another house in the famous millionaires' enclave of Sandbanks, tying up a woman and her daughter at gunpoint. In this incident, Holdrick and accomplice Ashley Fulton dressed as police to gain entry, dragging the daughter by her hair and threatening to burn her with an iron and shoot her dead if they weren't given the safe code. They failed to access the safe but stole approximately £200,000 worth of watches, jewellery, and cash.
Sentencing and Denial
In November, Holdrick was jailed for 12 years after admitting to the Sandbanks raid and received a further three-year term this week for the burglary involving Taylor-Joy and her husband. He initially denied the London burglary, claiming that DNA found at the scene was there because he had attended a party at the property. However, he pleaded guilty in December last year.
Holdrick, who once dated a cast member from The Only Way Is Essex, has a lengthy criminal history. He was also jailed for life in 2005 for an armed robbery on a security van and has convictions dating back to his teenage years.
