Holly Willoughby murder plotter Gavin Plumb has appeal dismissed

A security guard jailed for plotting to kidnap, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby has failed to appeal his sentence.

Gavin Plumb was jailed for at least 16 years after being found guilty of inciting the former This Morning presenter to murder and inciting her to rape and kidnap in July 2024.

When police raided the 38-year-old’s flat in Harlow, Essex, they found chloroform bottles and a “kidnap kit” complete with cable ties, a ball gag and rope.

Court of Appeal judges had previously ruled that Plumb had intended to inflict harm of “the gravest and greatest possible kind” and that his sentence was appropriate.

Lawyers for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) opposed Plumb’s appeal, telling the court in London that the crime had “life-changing consequences” for Ms Willoughby.

Sasha Wass KC, for Plumb, argued there was “no suggestion that the victim of the I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here presenter had suffered any lasting psychological harm”.

But dismissing the appeal, Judge Edis said he, along with Mr Justice Martin Spencer and Mr Justice Norton, concluded that it was “ultimately unpersuasive”.

The judge said Willoughby’s death was “specifically engineered and engineered” by Plumb.

Jurors at Plumb’s trial at Chelmsford Crown Court heard his “ultimate fantasy” was to ambush Miss Willoughby He commits sexual violence against her in her home and in a “dungeon” type room.

Plumb asks online “how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebrities.” and in the messages he sent, he suggested that he would kill the victim and put him “in a lake at night”.

He was arrested in October 2023 after being set up by an undercover US police officer who infiltrated an online group called Abduct Lovers used by Plumb.

Plumb told the officer that he was “absolutely serious” about his plot against Miss Willoughby, causing the officer to become frightened. there was an “imminent threat” to him.

The officer forwarded the evidence to the FBI, which led to US law enforcement then contacting police in the United Kingdom.

Plumb defended from the witness stand During his trial he said his comments were just online chatter and fantasy, but admitted they were “dark”.

Sentencing Plumb, Mr Justice Murray described some of his plans as “particularly sadistic, cruel and degrading” and said he had “no doubt that this was all much more than a fantasy”.

After the jury handed down their verdict, Ms Willoughby said in a statement: “As women, we should not be allowed to feel unsafe in our daily lives and in our own homes.”

Essex Police discovered a “kidnap kit” consisting of hand and ankle cuffs, rope, 400 metal cable ties and chloroform bottles.

Plumb did not attend the appeal hearing in person or remotely from prison.

His lawyer argued that he “served a very long sentence and that sentence could have been significantly reduced.”

But CPS barrister Alison Morgan KC said: “What could the judge have done but conclude that the risk posed by this applicant due to the offending facts and previous convictions could not be met by anything other than a life sentence?”

Delivering the appeal judges’ decision, Judge Edis said Plumb was “obsessed” with Miss Willoughby.

He described Plumb’s plans as “appalling” and added: “They are distressing even for seasoned professionals.”