Security Guard Gavin Plumb Sentenced to Life for Plot Against TV Presenter Holly Willoughby
Security Guard Gavin Plumb Sentenced to Life for Plot Against TV Presenter Holly Willoughby
Chelmsford, UK – Security guard Gavin Plumb has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years at Chelmsford Crown Court for his plot to kidnap, rape, and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby.
The court heard that the plot had a “life-changing” impact on Ms. Willoughby. During Plumb’s sentencing, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC conveyed Ms. Willoughby’s wish to keep her victim personal statement private. Morgan noted, “The impact of this offending has been life-changing for the victim of these offences – both in private and personal terms – private, personal and indeed professional.”
The judge declared that, accounting for the time Plumb had already served on remand, the minimum term would be 15 years and 85 days for soliciting the murder of Ms. Willoughby, along with incitement to rape and kidnap.
Plumb, 37, who initially showed no reaction upon hearing his sentence, made an exasperated gesture and comment as he was led to the cells. The court was informed that Plumb had spent years fantasizing about abducting the TV host from her family home, imprisoning her in a secluded dungeon, and subjecting her to repeated rapes and torture.
Plumb’s defense barrister, Sasha Wass KC, stated that Plumb “worshipped and was obsessed” with Ms. Willoughby in a “warped and bizarre manner,” adding that he was “devastated to be the cause of such pain to her.”
Mr. Justice Edward Murray, referring to Plumb’s online communications with an accomplice named Marc, described the plans as “particularly sadistic, brutal and degrading.” He emphasized that if Plumb had found willing accomplices, he would have executed his plan.
Plumb, a shopping center security guard who spent much of his life online and once weighed 35 stone, maintained that his words were the “ramblings” of a lonely fantasist. However, a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court found him guilty of a genuine attempt to carry out his twisted plot.