Holly Willoughby: Gavin Plumb jailed for life for murder plot
Picture credit goes to Essex Police
Gavin Plumb mentioned that simply imagining things is no longer sufficient, as he planned the attack on Ms. Willoughby.
BBC News has reported on the proceedings at Chelmsford Crown Court.
A security guard who planned to kidnap, sexually assault, and kill TV host Holly Willoughby has been sentenced to at least 16 years in prison.
Gavin Plumb shared that his biggest dream was to use the tools he had put together to commit extremely sexualized violence against the former This Morning host.
The man, who is 37 years old and from Harlow, Essex, was arrested after he accidentally revealed his intentions to an undercover police officer posing as a member in the online chatroom known as "Abduct Lovers".
Handing down a life sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court, Mr. Justice Murray labeled some of the ideas Plumb talked about as "especially cruel, violent, and humiliating".
Picture credit, Getty Images
Gavin Plumb orchestrated a scheme to break into Holly Willoughby's residence and abduct her.
He mentioned that the crimes have significantly impacted Ms. Willoughby's life, both personally and in her career.
Plumb was given a life sentence with a minimum of 16 years to serve before he can be considered for parole.
Plumb had claimed that he did not ask for murder and encourage abduction and assault from 2021 to 2023, but he was convicted after a trial that lasted eight days.
"The judge believed that you saw this as more than just a dream," he stated, pointing out Plumb's significant weight gain, which he had previously discussed with the BBC.
The judge stated that the plan was not realistic because of various factors, including your health, but you believed it could work.
You always planned to carry out your scheme to abduct, assault, and murder Ms Willoughby if you could assemble the perfect team to help.
The person accused, who had been convicted of trying to kidnap someone before, showed no emotion as he was given his punishment in court.
He is sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and 85 days in prison, taking into account the time he spent in custody before the trial.
Recently released footage from police body cameras during the arrest of Gavin Plumb in connection to the Holly Willoughby case.
Ms. Willoughby left her position on This Morning after the offenses were revealed in October 2023, bringing her 14-year run to an end.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC stated that it has been very difficult to fully express the shock and fear caused by this offense.
Plumb became very fixated on Ms. Willoughby for over a decade, as she testified during the trial.
He really wanted to break into the broadcaster's house, take her to a place where she would be sexually assaulted multiple times, and then kill her, according to Ms. Morgan.
Plumb first shared his idea with a man named Marc, saying, "I am going to make my dreams come true by living out my ultimate fantasy."
I've reached a stage where imagination isn't satisfying me like it used to. I crave authenticity now.
Source of the image, Crown Prosecution Service
Gavin Plumb confessed that the messages he sent from his apartment were "heavy."
In his statement during the sentencing, Mr. Justice Murray mentioned that the content of numerous messages sent by Plumb was too disturbing and explicit to be read out loud in court.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that he bought 400 strong metal cable ties and bottles believed to have chloroform in them to use in order to render Ms. Willoughby and her husband unconscious when he broke into their home.
Plumb informed Marc via a voice message in March 2023 that they planned to make Ms. Willoughby record a video stating that she willingly chose to join them and consented to everything they would do to her, in order to protect themselves legally.
The jury heard that he visited an empty horse breeding farm with rooms intended to "detain" Ms. Willoughby.
"He is not a dreamer - he is a deliberate, aggressive, sexually abusive individual who has dedicated his life to causing harm to women," stated Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood from Essex Police.
The authorities were observed searching through Plumb's apartment in Potters Field, Harlow, in October 2023.
Plumb became involved in a Kik group called "Abduct Lovers" where he shared his plan with David Nelson, who was actually an undercover cop in the US.
A man, who we will call Mr. Nelson to protect his identity, alerted the FBI about the information shared with him by a person named Plumb. The FBI then passed on this information to Essex Police, who proceeded to carry out a raid on the individual's residence.
It has been revealed that Plumb had a large number of images of Ms. Willoughby on a device at his residence, with many of them being altered and explicit.
During his trial, Plumb confessed that the messages he sent online about the presenter were "disturbing," but he stated that he had no intention of actually following through with them.
Looking back, he admitted that his words were a big mistake and that trying to act on his fantasies was something he knew would never actually happen.
The person accused in court claimed that he had purchased chloroform to remove a mark on his floor.
Sasha Wass KC, speaking on behalf of the defendant, informed the court that Plumb felt humiliated and regretful that his private online chats had been exposed.
"He had no chance of climbing any of the fences around Ms. Willoughby's house, even though he imagined himself doing so," she stated.
Some parts of the plan were so impractical that it couldn't be implemented.
Picture credit goes to Julia Quenzler from the BBC.
During his trial, Plumb insisted that his plan was simply a product of his imagination and not to be taken seriously.
Plumb was questioned about his past convictions for trying to kidnap someone in 2006 and for falsely imprisoning someone in 2008.
The security guard admitted to having a fantasy about stewardesses as he attempted to remove two air hostesses from a train on two different occasions in August 2006.
In 2008, he caused great fear in two teenage girls by restraining their hands and pushing them into the storage room of a store.
He received a 12-month suspended sentence for his initial offenses, then later was sentenced to 32 months in jail for the false imprisonments.
Plumb explained that the two offenses were a way for him to seek help because he felt trapped in a harmful relationship and needed to escape.
