Latest news with #ColtenCare
Daily Mail
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Armed robber who dated Towie star is ordered to pay back just £25 after tying up and threatening to kill mother and daughter in terrifying £220,000 Sandbanks mansion raid
An armed robber who dated a Towie star has been ordered to pay back just £25 to a mother and daughter who he tied up and threatened to kill in a terrifying £220,000 Sandbanks mansion raid. Career criminal Kirk Holdrick, also known as Aaron Evans, and his accomplice Ashley Fulton held both Kerry and Emily Aitchison at gunpoint during the horrifying incident at their luxury £2.5million Poole harbour home in February 2023. In 2022, Holdrick went on a string of dates with former The Only Way is Essex Star Hannah Voyan, who was axed from the show after debuting in its 30th series. The couple were seen publicly holding hands while leaving a restaurant in Mayfair, London, alongside other Towie co-stars including Chloe Brockett. Now, it has been revealed that Holdrick will have to pay a mere £25 in compensation to the traumatised Aitchison family, despite the pair making a collective total of £221,348 from their heinous crime. During the petrifying raid, Holdrick and Fulton tied up Ms Aitchison and threatened to burn Emily, 22, with an iron and shoot her mother in front of her if she didn't open the safe. But brave Ms Aitchison, 55, called the two thieves 'scum of the earth' and refused to give them the code. In just 30 minutes, the pair ransacked the property, fleeing with £220K worth of stolen luxury goods, including a unique Patek Phillipe watch. While they were never recovered, the pair made a catalogue of errors that eventually led police to their door. But Holdrick, 43, has just £26.66 to pay as compensation to the Aitchison family while Fulton, also 43, has £4,156, a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court has heard. While the courts can only seize available assets from convicted criminals, the Crown Prosecution Service can revisit the order if either Holdrick or Fulton come into additional money in the future. On February 21, 2023, the career criminals deliberately targeted the home of Mark Aitchison, the chief executive officer of Colten Care, which owns 21 care homes in the south of England. His wife Kerry, a personal trainer and physio, was the only one home when the pair knocked at around 1pm. To gain entry to the home in an exclusive cul-de-sac the pair posed as police officers investigating a rape. Then, after the door was answered, they barged their way in and bound Ms Aitchison with cable ties and threatened to kill her if she didn't give them the code to the safe. Around half an hour later, the pair seemed 'on the cusp of leaving' when daughter Emily, an estate agent, came home on her lunch break. One of the men held a gun to her head, dragged her by the hair and threatened to shoot her and burn her with an iron. Emily bravely entered the code wrong twice and then told them if she did it wrong a third time it would trigger the alarm. The panicked robbers eventually fled the scene and Emily was able to run to a neighbour's house to raise the alarm and then cut her mother free. The pair were eventually caught after their DNA was found all over the property and the get away car, registered to Fulton's address, was discovered on CCTV. Mobile phone records later showed Fulton had Googled the exact rare model of Patek Philippe watch they had stolen two hours after the heist. Police also found online orders made by Fulton for police ID wallets and lanyards the pair used to trick their way into the Aitchison home. Holdrick had been given a life sentence for armed robberies in 2004. He had escaped from prison and carried out a gunpoint raid on a jewellery store in Essex two days later and then an armed robbery on a Securicor van. Branded a 'dangerous offender' who posed a significant risk of harm to the public by a judge who bailed him at Bournemouth Crown Court, Holdrick was out of prison on licence at the time of the Sandbanks raid. The court heard he had 22 previous convictions for 110 offences. Holdrick was arrested at a ferry terminal in Birkenhead on April 18 with a Rolex watch and a fake passport. Fulton and his girlfriend Lacey Langton, were arrested by armed police at a Heathrow hotel on May 14. In their room, police found thousands in cash, four mobile phones and a bag of watches and jewellery, none of which was connected to the robbery. Outlining the negative impacts of the horrifying robbery on her emotionally, Ms Aitchison previously told the court: 'Home should feel a safe place, a sanctuary, a haven. For me it's a crime scene where I thought myself and my daughter would be killed. 'I am a mere shadow of my former self because of this violent intrusion. Gone is the positive, vibrant outgoing woman and in her place is someone I don't recognise.' Meanwhile, Judge William Mousley KC said that both Kerry and Emily Aitchison 'were subjected to a terrifying ordeal' that had left 'severe psychological harm'. Judge Mousley praised the mother and daughter for their 'courageous' personal statements which 'powerfully expressed' the impact the ordeal had on them. To Holdrick, he said: 'You are a dangerous offender, you pose a significant risk of serious harm to the public. Your previous offences and the facts of these offences, the high level of danger you impose, which will in my judgment remain indefinitely, all support the imposition of a sentence of life imprisonment. 'However I must consider the available alternatives.' James Hay, defending, insisted that Holdrick was 'already serving a life sentence so the public can be adequately protected without the need to impose a second such sentence.' In September last year, Holdrick pleaded guilty to two robberies, possession of an imitation firearm and one count of fraud for a false passport. Judge Mousley decided a second life sentence for Holdrick's role in the heist would not be appropriate but made an extended sentence of 16 years - 12 in custody and four years on licence. Holdrick would need to go before a parole board before he could be released for the previous life sentence. Meanwhile, Fulton admitted two counts of robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, three offences of fraud and three of possessing ID documents with improper intent, one of possession of an article for use in fraud and possession of cocaine. He was handed a life sentence, with a minimum term of nine years and 192 days before he can be considered for parole. Langton, from Wareham, Dorset, admitted perverting the course of justice and possessing an identity document with improper intent. She picked up false ID documents for Fulton in his son's name and was arrested with him at a Heathrow hotel in May last year. The 23-year-old was jailed for 14 months for her part in the crime.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Care home residents enjoy picnics and outdoor activities
Care home residents enjoyed a day of picnics and outdoor activities. The events, inspired by International Picnic Day, were hosted by seven Colten Care homes in Hampshire and Dorset. The homes, including Belmore Lodge in Lymington, Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, Fernhill in Longham, Whitecliffe House in Blandford, Canford Chase and The Aldbury in Poole, and Abbey View in Sherborne transformed their gardens, courtyards, and summer houses into picnic spots. Residents and care home staff prepared a range of classic picnic food, including quiches, sausage rolls, dips, cheese and cucumber sandwiches, and salads. Enjoying a picnic in the garden at Colten Care's The Aldbury in Poole. (Image: Colten Care) The picnic tables were also stocked with traditional drinks, such as ginger beer, homemade lemonade, and dandelion and burdock cordials. Anne Hammond, a resident at Canford Chase, said: "It reminded me of being a Girl Guide and making picnics at camp." Residents were given the chance to walk down memory lane as they shared stories of past picnics. Tony Husband from The Aldbury care home said: "The food was nice and we, our families, and the companions all did very well by the support of the team. Fernhill resident Sandra Putman and Companion Angela Thorn busy preparing a quiche for the home's picnic (Image: Colten Care) "Thank you very much to our chefs." Similarly, at Fernhill, a dementia care home, the garden was transformed with gingham-checked fabrics, evoking a '1950s retro feel.' Here, the residents took an additional trip to Hamworthy Park on the Poole seafront for another picnic lunch. Fernhill companionship team leader, Cara Duroe, said: "The experience of sharing food outdoors brought back many memories for our residents of when picnics were a cherished family tradition." Among the other activities, residents enjoyed live music performances. Pianist Kevin Pritchard, a member of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, entertained the residents at Woodpeckers care home. The initiative was praised by several residents, who expressed their delight and eagerness for future events. Terry Pattison, another resident at The Aldbury, said: "Good starter for the season. Let's have another picnic soon."
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Care home residents celebrate International Picnic Day
Residents at care homes in Dorset and Hampshire enjoyed a day of picnics and outdoor fun. Gardens, courtyards and summer houses at seven Colten Care homes hosted meals, live music and singalongs as guests reminisced about past picnics. Residents and home chefs collaborated to prepare traditional picnic fare such as quiches, sausage rolls, dips, sandwiches and salads. There were old-fashioned drinks including ginger beer, homemade lemonade and dandelion and burdock cordials. Enjoying a picnic in the garden at Colten Care's The Aldbury in Poole (Image: Colten Care) These celebratory gatherings, inspired by International Picnic Day, took place at Canford Chase and The Aldbury in Poole, Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, Fernhill in Longham, Whitecliffe House in Blandford, Abbey View in Sherborne and Belmore Lodge in Lymington. At Canford Chase, several residents spent the morning preparing sandwiches and cutting up vegetables. Anne Hammond said: "It reminded me of being a Girl Guide and making picnics at camp." Tony Husband, a resident at The Aldbury, said: "The food was nice and we, our families and the Companions all did very well by the support of the team." At Fernhill, there was a '1950s retro feel' with gingham-checkered fabrics adorning hampers, blankets, aprons and tablecloths. Among those performing live music was pianist Kevin Pritchard, a member of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, who entertained at Woodpeckers.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Care home residents share VE Day memories
Care home residents have shared their memories of the end of World War Two in Europe as they marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Residents of Colten Care's 21 homes in the south, including service veterans and those who were children at the time, recalled the momentous day. The news that the war had ended came in a BBC radio newsflash on the evening of May 7, 1945, followed by an official announcement from Prime Minister Winston Churchill at 3pm the next afternoon, declaring May 8 as VE Day and a national holiday. Pam Brown, a resident at Colten Care's Kingfishers care home in New Milton, Hampshire, celebrates the VE Day anniversary with Companionship Team member Elaine Evans (Image: Colten Care) At Kingfishers in New Milton, Hampshire, 99-year-old Alan Havelock recounted his memories of VE Day. He said: 'I was at home in St. Neots near Cambridge recovering from measles. "There was a fete on the square and all the events were free. "At the back stood a bumper car track. I danced with my mother and we both drank wine. "It was simple, beautiful and unforgettable.' Kingfishers residents Pat Dartnell, 102, left, and Kay Karnhem, 100, who attended a VE Day anniversary community celebration in New Milton, Hampshire (Image: Colten Care) To mark the VE Day 80th anniversary, all 21 Colten Care homes in Hampshire, Dorset, West Sussex, and Wiltshire hosted community events. They included afternoon teas and 'street parties' with homes and gardens decked out with Union flags, bunting, and 1940s memorabilia. Residents from Kingfishers also attended a VE Day-themed theatre production at nearby St Mark's Church in Highcliffe and an anniversary celebration at the New Milton Recreation Ground organised by the Lions Club and featuring both the Military Wives Choir and the Wessex Military Band. Pat Dartnell, who is 102, said of the Lions Club event: "It was a heartwarming afternoon that honoured the past while celebrating the resilience and joy of the present." In Lymington, three residents of Linden House - Nigel Bendell, Frank Johnson and John Porter - were invited to join the standard bearers for the official VE Day memorial service at the town's St Thomas's Church.
