'Depraved' Essex man who plotted to kidnap and murder Holly Willoughby was still messaging undercover cop as police broke down his front door to arrest him

A depraved Essex man who plotted to kidnap and murder ITV presenter Holly Willoughby was still messaging an undercover cop as police broke down his front door to arrest him. “Horrendous” and “dangerous” Gavin Plumb had plotted for years to murder Ms Willoughby after becoming “obsessed” with her and fantasising about grim details of a “violent sexual attack” on her with men online.

The 37-year-old of Potters Field, Harlow was convicted by a jury of soliciting murder and inciting kidnap and rape following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court this week. Plumb had assembled a full “kidnap kit” to assault the former This Morning presenter at her home, which included metal cable ties, chloroform, handcuffs and ankle restraints.

Plumb had previously been jailed for attempted kidnap and false imprisonment in 2008 when he tried to take two women hostage from a train, and then two young teenage girls who worked at Woolworths in Harlow with him. Analysis of his “many” electronic devices found more than a million items including graphic, sexualised images of Ms Willoughby, deep fake pornographic videos, sordid messages about his plans with other men online, and videos of the kit he bought.

Read more: Court recap as Gavin Plumb is found guilty of plotting to murder Holly Willoughby

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The court previously heard that Plumb had attracted the attention of an undercover police officer based in the United States, after his messages on a group called “Abduct Lovers” on Kik messenger were found. This officer, known only by his pseudonym “David Nelson”, believed the level of detail Plumb had on Ms Willoughby, along with his desires and the materials he purchased, meant there was an “imminent threat” to her safety.

Speaking with EssexLive , Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood of Essex Police shared how officers had arrested Plumb at his home on October 3, 2023 where they forced open his front door. DCI Wood said as police did this, Plumb was still talking with the undercover officer.

He said: “ My initial thoughts were the degree of planning and preparation that he had put in at an early stage to make his goal a reality. We were notified really quickly by colleagues in America about Plumb and the risks they thought he posed to the victim in this case. He had a significant amount of computers, mobiles and devices, that was probably our biggest challenge in this case. He had in excess of a million bits of information in relation to this case.

“We deal all the time with computers, laptops and phones that have a significant amount of information on, but for me the number that were specific to the victim in this case demonstrated he was more than fixated with her, and he had a clear and credible plan to cause her serious harm.

“As soon as we were informed by our American colleagues we went to his address, executed a warrant and arrested him, and as we were going through the door he was still talking to the American undercover officer, which clearly showed that he was determined to carry out his plan.”

Plumb shared with the jury in his evidence that his messages and actions had been “just chat”, and that he would never have gone through with it. Plumb claimed the messages and “kit” were for his short-term gratification, and he would then “move on”. On his previous offences, Plumb claimed it was a “cry for help” as he wanted to get out of a toxic relationship.

But DCI Wood said that Plumb was “meticulous” in his planning, and was determined to at least attempt the kidnap of Ms Willoughby, regardless of whether he would have succeeded.

He said: “Gavin Plumb was clearly determined to make his plan a reality. He meticulously planned his route, how he was going to do it, he had bought items online that were going to make it a reality and sought out like minded people online. I have no doubt that Plumb is a dangerous individual.

“The conviction has shown what a horrible man Plumb is and he’s safer behind bars. We know this isn’t his first offence, he has previously been convicted for real crimes against real women, this is another case that’s similar, I have no doubt he’s an incredibly dangerous man.

“His previous crimes suggest he won’t show any remorse. He had the chance to reform but didn’t, he’s spent time since 2021 planning his attack, so his place behind bars will keep the residents of Essex safe.”

DCI Wood praised Holly Willoughby for her bravery throughout the case, saying she was treated “no differently” to any other victim of such crimes. He said the victims’ efforts were key to achieving the conviction. The officer also called for social media companies to take more responsibility for the content posted online, and other people who see them to report it immediately.

He added: “We had an American undercover officer in the forum, but they aren’t in every forum. There is a responsibility on online social media companies to take positive action, In cases like this he was in an open forum called Abduct Lovers, it wasn’t covert. The officer found the forum very quickly, there’s a responsibility here for not just the companies but also people online to report such horrendous activity.”