Man Jailed After Terrifying London Burglary at Home Where Anya Taylor-Joy Was Staying

A man has been handed extra prison time after admitting his role in a frightening burglary at a luxury home in London where actress Anya Taylor-Joy was staying.

Kirk Holdrick, 43, was sentenced this week for the break-in, which happened in the early hours of 12 February 2023. Prosecutors said Holdrick and another man arrived at the multi-million-pound property wearing balaclavas and forced their way inside by smashing glass. The pair were armed with a crowbar as they moved through the house.

Inside were Taylor-Joy, then 29, and her husband, musician Malcolm McRae. McRae was alerted by the noise and briefly confronted the intruders before retreating to a bedroom, where he barricaded the door.

With no weapon available, McRae armed himself with a lamp as the men tried to break in. CCTV footage later shown to Wood Green Crown Court captured the suspects climbing over a wall and appearing to panic when a security light came on. They fled shortly after McRae shouted that he had a gun.

Police arrived to find Taylor-Joy and McRae still locked inside the bedroom. Prosecutors told the court they believe the Hollywood star may have been deliberately targeted.

Taylor-Joy is best known for her roles in The Queen’s Gambit, Peaky Blinders, and the Dune films.

The London burglary came just days before Holdrick carried out a far more violent raid at a luxury home in Sandbanks, an area known for wealthy residents. In that attack, Holdrick and accomplice Ashley Fulton disguised themselves as police officers, tied up a woman and her daughter at gunpoint, and threatened them while demanding access to a safe.

Although they failed to open the safe, the pair escaped with around $270,000 worth of jewellery, watches, and cash. Holdrick was jailed for 12 years in November for his role in the Sandbanks burglary.

This week, the court added an extra three years to his sentence for the London break-in involving Taylor-Joy. Holdrick had initially denied being involved, claiming DNA found at the scene was from a party he once attended at the house. He later pleaded guilty in December. The court also heard he has a long criminal record dating back to his teenage years.

Taylor-Joy and McRae, who began dating in May 2021, later married in a lavish ceremony in Italy in 2023.