It was the terrifying possibility that haunted Holly Willoughby every day for nine months: What if Gavin Plumb walks free?
But yesterday the grotesquely obese former security guard was finally sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 16 years, for plotting to kidnap, rape and murder the presenter – and she will have been utterly relieved to hear the outcome.
When the former This Morning star first learned of the terror Gavin Plumb had in store for her, she was understandably petrified, as were her nearest and dearest.
And the idea of him being found not guilty and allowed to walk the streets again was her ‘worst nightmare’, with Holly, 43, fearing that she would never be able to live a normal life again.
‘She can now rest a little easier at night,’ said a friend of the TV star. ‘While the ramifications of what happened will probably never leave her, the fact that Plumb cannot terrorise her, or anyone else for that matter, will be such a huge relief. This has totally changed Holly’s life – she couldn’t leave the house for a very long time.
Holly Willoughby, 43, rigorously avoided any publicity arising from her harrowing experience throughout the trial of Gavin Plumb
Former security guard Plumb was finally sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 16 years, for plotting to kidnap, rape and murder Holly
‘The sentence means that, in time, she can try to process what has happened and piece her life together, but most importantly, no longer live in total fear because Plumb is behind bars for the foreseeable – long enough not to be scared.
‘Very few people have any understanding of just what Holly has been through in the last nine months. It has been hell.’
Throughout the trial, the former ITV presenter rigorously avoided any publicity arising from her harrowing experience, and her victim impact statement was not read out to the public yesterday.
The judge praised Holly’s ‘considerable courage’ in waiving her automatic right to anonymity ‘so the case can be reported’.
Mr Justice Murray also revealed that some details were so ‘horrifying, shocking and graphic’ that an informal agreement was reached between the prosecution and the media to avoid reporting on them.
Meanwhile, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said: ‘The impact has been life changing for the victim – both in private and personal terms and, indeed, professional.
‘The shock and fear caused has been impossible to convey. Indeed, being informed of the consequences, the intentions, and the detail of the evidence in this case, it is inevitable that has exacerbated the trauma of this victim.’
Plumb, whose weight ballooned to 35st at one point, spent ‘99.9 per cent’ of his free time online, where he used stomach-churning chat groups to talk about his perversions and encourage others to join him in his plot to kidnap Holly.
He denied soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap, claiming it had all been ‘just online chat’.
But he was convicted unanimously by a jury of eight women and four men at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Plumb, 37, who wore a grey sweatshirt, showed no emotion yesterday as he was sentenced to life, but muttered ‘fifteen years to kill myself’ as he was led out of the dock.
The items discovered in the possession of Plumb as he plotted to murder Holly
Delivering the sentence, Mr Justice Murray said: ‘[The plot] to murder Ms Willoughby was the endpoint of a plan to kidnap and falsely imprison her for the purpose of raping and otherwise sexually abusing her in ways that would have been particularly sadistic, brutal and degrading.’
Holly quit her job on This Morning days after learning of the plot in October 2023, just before she was due to go on air, and was so terrified she stayed holed up in her home for weeks afterwards.
But it wasn’t just her own safety she was worried about. As Holly went through the legal process, she also wanted to ensure the safety of other women – an issue she feels very passionate about.
In a bid to make sure the Crown Prosecution Service had the best possible chance of getting a conviction, Holly fought hard to ensure Plumb’s previous convictions were brought before the court.
And at the 11th hour, the jury was allowed to hear about Plumb’s two attempts to abduct air stewardesses from trains heading for Stansted airport and an attempt to kidnap two of his 16-year-old colleagues at a Woolworths branch.
Just a month before his trial, the cases were deemed admissible.
Holly was grateful to the women who were brave enough to speak out, including Emma Ashby, who told The Mail on Sunday how Plumb sellotaped her hands together and pulled out a kitchen knife in a warehouse at the shop where they worked 15 years ago.
Ms Ashby said: ‘His past convictions show he is a dangerous man who doesn’t just fantasise, he acts on these fantasies.’
Meanwhile, a friend of the presenter said: ‘Holly fights for women’s rights, it is something she feels strongly about. She believes no woman should have to live in fear, so the sentence is a real sign.
‘She had this determination to ensure Plumb was found guilty, not just for her own benefit but for other females’ safety, because too many women are unsafe.’
Holly chose not to go to court for the trial, instead, she went away with those closest to her.
This was not just to escape the trauma of hearing the vile details of Plumb’s cruel and sordid plans being rehearsed in court but also to ensure that they received the coverage they deserved rather than being eclipsed by her presence.
Plumb was arrested by police officers at his home in October last year
Holly waived her automatic right to anonymity ‘so the case could be reported on’
It is understood Holly requested that her victim impact statement was not read out in public because she was keen to ensure that the younger members of her family are never privy to the full horrors she had to live through for so long.
The nightmare saga began last October, when there was an unexpected knock on the front door of her home in south-west London.
It was the police, who came to tell her that, just hours earlier, they had uncovered Plumb’s plot.
Using chloroform to subdue her and her husband, TV producer Dan Baldwin, 48, during a nighttime raid while their three children slept nearby, she would be driven to Plumb’s ground-floor flat in Harlow, Essex.
Plumb then intended to take Holly captive, hold her in an isolated ‘dungeon’ – which he described as ‘death row’ – and rape and torture her. He assembled a horrific ‘restraint kit’ for his plan, which included manacles, a ball gag and a cat o’ nine tails whip.
It was through his activity in an online forum called ‘Abduct Lovers’ – his favourite haunt for encouraging other ‘obsessives’ to join his mission to kidnap Holly – that his plans came to light.
In conversations with one man, David Nelson, Plumb revealed how, when he was ‘bored’ of her, Ms Willoughby’s throat would be slit and her body thrown in a lake, adding that he had been ‘waiting for years’ to enact his ‘ultimate fantasy’.
But Mr Nelson was actually an undercover US police officer, who had infiltrated the group. He was so concerned at the ‘imminent threat’ that he passed details on to the Metropolitan Police the next day, on October 4, and Plumb was arrested within hours.
The plans, which Holly first learned of that fateful day in October, left her numb and terrified. As the police spoke to her, with her husband at her side, Holly – all too understandably – ‘descended into an absolute state’.
Just days later, she sensationally quit her role as a presenter on This Morning after 14 years, as she was simply too frightened to appear on live television. She didn’t leave her home for weeks. Instead she was visited by close friends, including Christine Lampard, Emma Bunton and Nicole Appleton to name a few.
For the time being, Holly is taking a break from filming to ‘recuperate’ with her family following the torment occasioned by the trial.
‘It’s been difficult for the family, you try to stay normal but it’s impossible when something like this happens,’ says one of Holly’s colleagues.
The presenter recently finished filming a Netflix show with Bear Grylls called Bear Hunt in Costa Rica. It is due to be released at the beginning of next year, when she will also return to ITV with skating show Dancing On Ice, which she hosts with Stephen Mulhern.
‘Holly loves work and she will take things on as and when they feel right,’ says a friend. ‘For now she wants to be with her family.’