Millionaire’s daughter ‘refused to open safe for robbers who impersonated police’ at family’s £2.5m home

Emily Aitchison
Emily Aitchison entered the code to the safe incorrectly twice and warned the robbers it would trigger an alarm if she did so a third time - LinkedIn

The daughter of a millionaire refused to open the safe for two robbers impersonating police officers, a court has heard.

Ashley Fulton and Aaron Evans dragged Emily Aitchison, 22, around her £2.5 million Sandbanks home by the hair and threatened to shoot her mother if she didn’t open the safe.

However, Emily refused, entering the code incorrectly twice and warning them it would trigger an alarm if she did so a third time, the court heard.

The pair panicked and then ransacked the house, stealing more than £200,000 of luxury watches, designer handbags, jewellery, cash and mobile phones, before fleeing.

Mark Aitchison, father to Emily and husband to Kerry Aitchison, 55, is the chief executive of Colten Care, which owns 21 care homes in the south of England.

Emily Aitchison
Emily Aitchison entered the code to the safe incorrectly twice and warned the robbers it would trigger an alarm if she did so a third time

Fulton and Evans went to Aitchison’s home address in Poole Harbour at 1pm on Feb 21 2023, posing as police officers, while Mrs Aitchison was home alone.

Mike Mason, prosecuting, told Bournemouth Crown Court at a previous hearing, the robbers were wearing baseball caps and jackets that said ‘Police’ on them and showed her fake police ID when she answered the door.

They said they were doing door-to-door enquiries about a rape on the seafront two days before.

As Mrs Aitchison leaned in to look at their ID, one put a gloved hand over her mouth and said “if you shut up and behave yourself you won’t get hurt”.

Mrs Aitchison was pushed on the floor “quite violently” and her hands and feet were tied, Mr Mason said.

The pair then went searching around the house and “seemed on the cusp of leaving” when Emily Aitchison returned home for lunch.

Ashley Fulton
Ashley Fulton admitted several offences, including two counts of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm

Mr Mason continued: “One said to her ‘we are f---ing robbing you, you’re going to end up dead’ and dragged her through the hall. She saw her mum lying on the ground with her hands behind her back.

“Her mum was crying and said ‘you need to do as they ask, this is real’.”

One of the robbers told Ms Aitchison “if you don’t tell us the key to your safe, we are going to murder your mum”.

They also put the gun to Emily’s head and said to Kerry “this is your last chance, if you don’t tell us we are going to kill your daughter”.

Explaining the impact of the ordeal, Mrs Aitchison said she is “a mere shadow” of her former self and that her daughter struggled to leave the house for six weeks after the incident.

None of the Aitchisons’ valuables were recovered.

Judge Mousley said: “Kerry and Emily Aitchison were subjected to a terrifying ordeal, robbed at gunpoint in their home by two men who tied them up and threatened to shoot and kill them.

“The two men stole in excess of £200,000 worth of property belonging to them and Mark Aitchison. That would have been more if they had been able to gain access to a safe in the house.

“The psychological harm was severe, they were both terrified.”

Aaron Evans
Aaron Evans was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment for his part in the heist

The court heard Fulton had been diagnosed with a personality disorder and put on medication, but that he was suitable for the normal sentencing procedure.

He was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of nine years and 192 days before he can be considered for parole.

Judge Mousley told him: “You are a dangerous offender, you pose a significant risk of serious harm to the public based on the facts of this case, your previous convictions and your diagnosis of a personality disorder.”

In September, Evans was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment for his part in the heist. He had already been given a life sentence for armed robberies in 2004 and was on licence at the time of the Poole Harbour raid.

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.

Evans pleaded guilty to two robberies, possession of an imitation firearm and one count of fraud for a false passport.