Anya Taylor-Joy’s husband ‘barricaded them in bedroom’ when burglars smashed into London home

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 25: (L-R) Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae attend as Tiffany & Co. celebrates the launch of Blue Book 2025: Sea of Wonder at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on April 25, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.)
More details have emerged in the terrifying break-in Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae faced in London (Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.)

A man has been handed additional jail time after admitting his role in a terrifying burglary at a London property where Anya Taylor-Joy was staying.

Kirk Holdrick, 43, was sentenced this week after breaking into a multi-million-pound home in the capital in the early hours of 12 February 2023.

Prosecutors said Holdrick and another man arrived in balaclavas and forced entry by smashing glass, before making their way through the house armed with a crowbar.

Inside the property were 29-year-old Taylor-Joy – best known for her roles in The Queen’s Gambit, Peaky Blinders, and the Dune films – and her husband, 31-year-old musician Malcolm McRae, who was alerted by the noise.

After confronting the intruders, MacRae retreated to the bedroom and barricaded the door as the men attempted to break in.

With no weapon to hand, he armed himself with a lamp while the pair waited for help to arrive.

Undated Metropolitan Police handout photo of Kirk Holdrick, a career criminal who has been jailed for smashing into the London home where Anya Taylor-Joy was staying. Issue date: Tuesday February 3, 2026. PA Photo. He was recalled to prison to continue serving his life sentence after his latest offences and, last November, he was jailed for 12 years for the Sandbanks robbery. Holdrick has now been handed a further three-year prison sentence for the burglary involving Taylor-Joy and her husband. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Kirk Holdrick has had additional years added to a previous life sentence for the break-in
(Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

CCTV footage shown to Wood Green Crown Court captured the moment the two men climbed over a wall and appeared to panic when a security light was activated.

They fled shortly afterwards, after MacRae claimed to have a gun.

Prosecutors told the court they believe the Hollywood actor may have been deliberately targeted.

Police found Taylor-Joy and her husband still barricaded inside the bedroom when officers reached the scene.

The incident came just days before Holdrick carried out a far more violent burglary at a luxury home in Sandbanks, an area known for attracting wealthy residents.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 28: Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae attend a gala performance of "Cabaret At The Kit Kat Club" featuring new cast members on March 28, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Taylor-Joy and McRae have been married since 2023 (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Disguised as police officers, Holdrick and accomplice Ashley Fulton forced their way into the property, tying up a woman and her daughter at gunpoint.

The court heard the daughter was dragged by her hair and threatened with an iron and a firearm as the men demanded access to a safe. Although they failed to open it, they escaped with around £200,000 worth of jewellery, watches, and cash.

Holdrick was jailed for 12 years in November after admitting his role in the Sandbanks raid. He has now received an additional three-year sentence for the London burglary involving Taylor-Joy.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 26: Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae is seen in Tribeca on April 26, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Aeon/GC Images)
McRae barricaded the couple in the bedroom (Picture: Aeon/GC Images)

Initially, Holdrick denied being involved in the London break-in, claiming DNA found at the scene was the result of attending a party at the address. He later pleaded guilty in December.

The court was also told that Holdrick has an extensive criminal record stretching back to his teens.

Taylor-Joy and McRae – who started dating in May 2021 – had a lavish wedding in Italy in 2023.

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