Yahoo News Holly Willoughby breaks her silence after murder plot security guard is jailed
TV presenter Holly Willoughby has broken her silence on Gavin Plumb's plot to kidnap, rape and murder her - and has shown her appreciation for the police and her legal team who dealt with the case. The former This Morning host has expressed the importance of protecting women from dangerous situations and also praised the security guard's previous female victims as their evidence helped find him guilty.
Under two hours after Plumb was convicted, the former This Morning host released a statement, writing: "As women we should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own homes. I will forever be grateful to the undercover police officer who understood the imminent threat, and to the Metropolitan and Essex police forces for their swift response.
"Thank you to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Rt Hon Mr Justice Murray, Alison Morgan KC, the members of the jury and all involved in this case for ensuring that justice was done and that the defendant will not be able to harm any more women. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
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"I would also like to commend the bravery of his previous victims for speaking up at the time. Without their bravery this conviction may not have been possible." Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.
The convicted 37-year-old claimed he wasn't physically capable of abducting the former This Morning presenter, but a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court dismissed the 37-year-old's defence that his plans were a "mere fantasy", agreeing with the prosecution that he was a "prolific liar who sought to minimise the extent of his criminality".
The jury took 12 hours and 19 minutes to unanimously convict him of soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap. As the verdicts were returned, Plumb slowly shook his head and stared at the floor of the dock. He then began to weep as he was sent down to the cells, sniffling as he tried to hold back tears.
The defendant, who adopted the user name Big Bear to chat to others about his plot online, appeared to formulate his fantasy as early as 2011 googling the phrase "how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebs". During the trial, jurors were taken through a lengthy "sequence of events" document, which displayed Plumb's "appalling messages" to others about what he would do to the Dancing On Ice presenter.
You can read more about the case, here.
