Holly Willoughby breaks silence after man found guilty in court of plot to ‘murder and kill’ TV star

A man has been found guilty of masterminding “graphic” plans to kidnap, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby in court proceedings as they delivered their verdict.

Gavin Plumb, 37, who worked as a security guard, developed an “obsession” with the former This Morning star over several years and assembled a “kidnapping kit” – complete with handcuffs and metal restraints – to help carry out his attack.

A jury at Chelmsford Crown Court rejected the 37-year-old’s defence that his plans were “mere fantasy”, agreeing with the prosecution that he was a “prolific liar who sought to minimise the extent of his criminality”.

It took the jury 12 hours and 19 minutes to unanimously find him guilty of solicitation to murder and incitement to rape and kidnapping. As the verdict was delivered, Plumb slowly shook his head and stared at the floor of the dock.

He then began to cry as he was sent to the cell, sniffling and trying to hold back tears. In a statement, Holly Willoughby thanked the undercover US police officer for helping to foil Gavin Plumb’s plot as well as the Crown Prosecution Service and others involved.

She said: “As women, we should not feel unsafe in our daily lives and in our own homes. I will always be grateful to the undercover police officer who recognised the imminent threat, and to the Metropolitan and Essex police forces for their swift response.

“Thank you to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Right Honourable Judge Murray, Alison Morgan KC, the jury and everyone involved in this case for ensuring that justice was done and that the defendant was unable to harm any more women.

“I would also like to acknowledge the courage of the previous victims who spoke out at the time. Without their courage, this conviction may not have been possible.”

Following the guilty verdict in Gavin Plumb’s case, Essex Police’s Senior Investigating Officer, Chief Inspector Greg Wood, said: “Gavin Plumb is a dangerous and predatory individual who intended to cause the most serious harm to his victim.

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“He was not simply obsessed with Holly Willoughby, he meticulously and carefully planned, over a period of years, to carry out a depraved and violent attack, in which he plotted to deprive her of her liberty and ultimately her life.

“His claims in court that he was a ‘fantasist’ are simply not true and have been proven by the extent to which he conspired with others to carry out his evil plan.”

The defendant, who adopted the username Big Bear to discuss his plot with others online, appears to have formulated his fantasy as early as 2011, when he Googled the phrase “how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebrities.”

During the trial, jurors were presented with a lengthy document setting out a “sequence of events” which outlined Plumb’s “horrifying messages” to others about what he would do to the Dancing On Ice presenter.

Evidence was passed to the FBI and the defendant was arrested at his flat in Harlow, Essex, on October 4, where he told police: “I’m not going to lie, she’s one of my fantasies.”

In a statement released after Plumb was found guilty, Essex Police thanked Ms Willoughby, who police said had “bravely supported this case throughout the trial and bravely waived her anonymity”.

He had planned to “ambush” Mrs Willoughby at the family home, and had even considered taking time off work to plan the attack. Plumb will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, July 12.

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