Gavin Plumb, a 37-year-old security guard, has been convicted of planning to kidnap, rape, and murder television presenter Holly Willoughby, who was the host of This Morning at the time of the plot. The jury at Chelmsford Crown Court unanimously found Plumb guilty of soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap.

Plumb, who had been obsessed with Willoughby, expressed shock and sorrow as the verdicts were announced. He was emotional as he was led away to the cells, showing signs of distress.

The court heard that Plumb had two previous convictions for attempted kidnap and false imprisonment. He had engaged in graphic and sexual conversations online about attacking Willoughby and other celebrities since December 2021. Plumb shared deepfake porn images, photos of Willoughby’s home, and discussed taking time off work to execute his plan.

An undercover US police officer, who had interacted with Plumb on a Kik messenger group called “Abduct Lovers,” believed that Plumb posed an imminent threat to Willoughby. Plumb detailed his plan to invade Willoughby’s home, subdue her and her husband using chloroform, kidnap her, and commit repeated acts of rape. He even shared a video of his “kidnap kit.”

Following the undercover officer’s alert, the FBI and UK police raided Plumb’s residence in Harlow, Essex, leading to his arrest. In a shocking turn of events, Plumb, in a video of the arrest, confessed to his obsession with Willoughby, calling her a fantasy of his.

The judge described Plumb as a danger to society whilst Willoughby, in a victim impact statement, expressed deep disturbance and fear caused by the plot against her. She commended law enforcement for thwarting the attack and encouraged vigilance in identifying and preventing such threats in the future.

Plumb’s solicitor indicated plans to appeal the verdict, claiming his client had no intent to carry out the acts described in the messages. Nonetheless, the jury deemed Plumb’s obsession and detailed planning a serious threat to Willoughby and her family.