Holly Willoughby breaks silence after man found guilty over kidnap plot

And in a statement released this afternoon, Holly Willoughby thanked an undercover American police officer for helping foil Plumb’s plot – as well as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and everyone involved in convicting her would-be kidnapper.

The TV presenter said: “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 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.

“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.”

Plumb had spent more than two years researching Willoughby’s personal life and assembling a ‘kidnap kit’ which included handcuffs, hundreds of metal cable ties, leg shackles, a pocket knife, and bottles of chloroform. He also searched for imitation firearms online.

A CPS statement said the 37-year-old – who has a string of previous convictions relating to kidnapping and false imprisonment – looked to recruit others he met online to carry out his brutal attack.

He planned to drive to the presenter’s home at night, break into the property, and incapacitate her with chloroform. Plumb’s vile plot then involved taking Holly Willoughby to another location where she would be imprisoned and raped before being murdered.

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Following the guilty verdicts in the case, Essex Police’s senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood, said: “Gavin Plumb is a dangerous, predatory individual who was intent on causing the most serious harm to his victim.

“He was not just simply obsessed with Holly Willoughby; he meticulously and carefully planned, over a number of years, to carry out a depraved and violent attack, in which he plotted to deprive her of her liberty and ultimately her life.

“His claims in court that he was a ‘fantasist’ are simply not true and were evidenced by the extent with which he plotted with others to carry out his wicked plan.”

And Nicola Rice, a specialist prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Gavin Plumb is a dangerous man who plotted unspeakable violence against one of the nation’s most familiar faces.

“Despite his attempts to pass himself off as a harmless fantasist, the prosecution persuaded the jury that Plumb posed a very real threat.

“The chilling details of his plans were laid bare with the help of an undercover officer from the US who alerted the FBI to the threat, and the seriousness of Plumb’s scheme was exposed when the prosecution successfully applied to tell the jury about Plumb’s previous convictions.

“I hope his conviction brings some comfort to Holly Willoughby and her family, and shows others that the Crown Prosecution Service will always seek the strongest possible charges against those who plot violence against women.”

The prosecution will be applying for a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order at Gavin Plumb’s sentencing, prosecutor Ros Earis said.

His sentencing will take place on July 12.