A man who plotted to abduct, rape and kill a U.K. TV presenter was sentenced Friday to life in prison following his arrest in 2023 by Essex Police.
Gavin Plumb, 37, was sentenced in Chelmsford Crown Court to life in prison, and was ordered to serve at least 16 years before becoming eligible for parole. He was convicted by a jury of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby since 2021.
Essex Police's Major Crime Team said Plumb developed an obsession with Willoughby, one of the U.K.'s most famous television personalities, over a "number of years," collecting thousands of images of her. He joined online forums, including one called "Abduct Lovers," and detailed his plans to kidnap her from her family home.
On the forum, Plumb discussed what equipment he would purchase to carry out the abduction, including metal cable ties, ropes and chloroform, and described how he would restrain Willoughby.
In conversations with a user named "Marc," Plumb "discussed graphic detail about sexual and violent offenses they plotted to carry out against the victim."
Judge Edward Murray said Plumb's plans were so "horrifying, shocking and graphic in detail" that they were not shared in open court, and only the jury were shown evidence of the conversations.
Plumb had claimed the plans were only a fantasy, though he had told an undercover Minnesota police officer who infiltrated the forum that he was "definitely serious." Plumb also had previous convictions for kidnap and attempted kidnap of women, according to Essex Police.
The undercover detective with the Owatonna Police Department in Minnesota gathered information from Plumb in early October 2023 and forwarded his concerns to the FBI within just a couple of days. The FBI in turn contacted their counterparts in the U.K. Plumb was arrested by Essex Police at his home on Oct. 4.
Murray said Plumb's plans were "particularly sadistic, brutal and degrading" and he had no doubt they were "considerably more than a fantasy."
Willoughby, 43, left her role presenting ITV's "This Morning" after 14 years soon after Plumb's arrest. She did make an impact statement, though it was not shared publicly, and the judge indicated Plumb's plot had a "catastrophic" and "life-changing" effect on her.
"Today Gavin Plumb starts a life sentence, with a minimum of 16 years behind bars, and the streets of Essex are safer for woman and girls as a result," Essex Police's Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood, said in a statement.
"He is a dangerous individual with a history of kidnapping, attempting to kidnap and plotting to kidnap women and girls. In this case he went further and intended to rape and murder his victim," Wood said. "He tried to claim throughout the trial that he was an obsessive fan and a fantasist - that is simply not true. He planned this attack on Ms Willoughby over a two-year period, scoping her movements, seeking to elicit help from others to carry out his wicked plan, buying chloroform and other items to incapacitate, restrain and inflict violence upon her. He is no fantasist - he's a calculated, violent, sexual predator who has spent his adult life inflicting or plotting to inflict harm on women."
This is the moment a dangerous sexual predator who plotted to murder Holly Willoughby, was arrested by Essex Police. Gavin Plumb, 37, had been plotting an attack on the television presenter since 2021, planning how he would carry out his plan & even purchasing a kidnap kit. pic.twitter.com/nEv4Ylxz7l
— Essex Police (@EssexPoliceUK) July 4, 2024
--with reporting by TMX
