A convicted violent criminal has been found guilty of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby.
Gavin Plumb, 37, was obsessed with the TV presenter and had more than 10,000 images of her, including deepfake porn, stored on his phone. He was arrested after he unwittingly made online contact with an undercover US-based police officer who was reported to British authorities.
Jurors heard Plumb had previous convictions for attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment – in 2006 he tried to force two female cabin crew off a train using a fake gun and threatening notes, and in 2008 he tried to tie up two teenage girls at a Woolworths warehouse.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard that the security guards had meticulously planned to abduct Ms Willoughby from her home, take her to their apartment in Harlow, Essex, and kill her in an abandoned building.
Plumb, who admitted spending “99.9 per cent” of his time online, denied the allegations and claimed the plan was nothing more than a “fantasy” and “online chat”, telling the court he was “deeply regretful”.
But the jury found him guilty of three counts: soliciting murder, encouraging or aiding kidnapping and encouraging or aiding rape.
More details coming soon…
