Life Sentence for Security Guard Planning Attack on Television Presenter Holly Willoughby

A security guard from Harlow, Essex, named Gavin Plumb has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years for scheming to abduct, rape, and murder television presenter Holly Willoughby. Plumb’s chilling plan and intentions surfaced during an investigation in the online chatroom ‘Abduct Lovers’, where he inadvertently disclosed his disturbing fantasies to an undercover police officer.

Mr Justice Murray, presiding at Chelmsford Crown Court, described the details of Plumb’s proposed acts as exceptionally sadistic, brutal, and degrading. The impact of Plumb’s offenses on Holly Willoughby, both personally and professionally, was noted to be life-altering by the judge.

Plumb, who had denied the charges of soliciting murder and inciting kidnap and rape spanning from 2021 to 2023, was found guilty and handed a life sentence before parole eligibility. The judge highlighted Plumb’s severe obesity and emphasized that despite the unfeasibility of his plan due to various reasons, Plumb viewed it as achievable.

The court learned that Plumb intended to execute his heinous plan of kidnapping, assaulting, and killing Holly Willoughby with the assistance of the ‘right crew’. Furthermore, the court heard that the impact of Plumb’s grave intentions led to Holly Willoughby ending her long tenure on the show ‘This Morning‘ following the revelations in October 2023.

Alison Morgan KC, the prosecutor, illustrated Plumb’s fixation with Holly Willoughby as an ‘obsession’ during the trial, highlighting his genuine intent to invade her home, subject her to repeated assaults, and ultimately end her life. The court was spared from hearing some of the more graphic details of Plumb’s plans, as they were deemed too horrifying to be narrated openly.

Plumb had procured a substantial number of heavy-duty metal cable ties and bottles supposedly filled with chloroform to incapacitate Holly Willoughby and her spouse upon breaking into their residence. His delusional vision also included forcing Holly Willoughby to record a video claiming consent to their acts, which he believed would protect them legally.

During the trial, it emerged that Plumb extensively researched an abandoned stud farm with holding cells, presumably to confine Holly Willoughby. Essex Police were alerted to Plumb’s activities by David Nelson, an individual who had been in contact with Plumb online under an alias. Subsequent investigations uncovered a vast collection of ‘deep fake’ and sexual images of Holly Willoughby on Plumb’s electronic devices.

In his defense, Plumb denied concrete plans to implement his fantasies, attributing his troubling online conversations to regrettable misjudgments. Despite his claims of the infeasibility of his scheme, Plumb’s criminal history included prior convictions for attempted kidnap and false imprisonment involving air hostesses and teenage girls.

The court heard that Plumb’s actions were indicative of a calculating, violent, and sexually predatory nature, rather than mere fantasies. His unrestrained fixation on Holly Willoughby culminated in a disturbing plot that thankfully was thwarted before causing irreparable harm.