Dorset Armed Robbers Ordered to Repay Only a Fraction of £221,000 Stolen in Violent Home Invasion

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Two violent criminals who carried out a terrifying armed robbery at a luxury home in Dorset have been ordered to pay back just a small portion of the £221,000 they stole. One of the men has been told he must repay a mere £26 to his victims.

Aaron Evans and Ashley Fulton were convicted and jailed for the crime last year, but during a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court this week, it was revealed that the pair will repay only a small portion of the stolen amount due to their limited current assets.

Evans and Fulton stormed the Sandbanks residence of business executive Mark Aitchison in February 2023, threatening his wife and daughter at gunpoint while stealing a large haul of luxury items, including jewellery, handbags, and rare watches. The family’s home, valued at £2.5 million, was left in disarray, and the emotional impact on the victims has been described in court as “severe”.

Evans, aged 43, who already had a life sentence on his record from a series of armed robberies in 2004 and was on licence at the time of the Sandbanks incident, was ordered to repay just £26.66. Fulton, also 43, must return £4,156. The total value of the goods stolen during the raid was assessed at £221,348.

The court heard how the two men posed as police officers when they arrived at the home shortly after 1 pm on February 21, 2023. Before forcing their way inside, they presented fake identification to Kerry Aitchison, a physiotherapist and personal trainer. She was restrained with her hands and feet tied, and repeatedly threatened when she was unable to open the family safe.

The situation escalated when her daughter Emily unexpectedly returned home on her lunch break. The intruders, in a state of panic, warned that they would burn her with an iron and shoot her mother if she failed to open the safe. Emily made a brave decision to input the wrong code twice deliberately and told the intruders that a third incorrect attempt would trigger the alarm.

Fearing capture, the robbers fled with a selection of high-value items, including a rare Patek Philippe watch, but left behind vital evidence. DNA samples and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage linking the getaway car to Fulton’s address played a key role in their eventual arrest.

Fulton was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of nine years and 192 days before he can be considered for parole. Evans received a 16-year prison term for his involvement in the robbery.

The emotional trauma experienced by Kerry and Emily Aitchison was significant. The court was told the psychological harm inflicted on the mother and daughter was “severe” and long-lasting.

Although the items taken in the robbery have not been recovered, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated that the order could be reviewed in the future if either criminal comes into significant funds.

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, courts can only seize what the convicted criminals are proven to currently possess. Despite the gravity of their crimes and the scale of the theft, both Evans and Fulton were found to have very limited financial resources at the time of the hearing.

The robbery, which targeted the chief executive officer of Colten Care, a company that operates 21 care homes across southern England, sparked widespread outrage due to the violent nature of the crime and the relatively light financial penalty now imposed through the compensation order.