GAVIN Plumb was convicted of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby.
Here’s everything you need to know about the man behind the twisted plan, which is the focus of a .
Who is Gavin Plumb?
from .
The dad-of-one at the Pinnacles Shopping Centre in his hometown.
He also previously worked as a kitchen assistant at Pizza Hut until 2012 and once had a job at McDonald’s.
However, left his role at the pizza chain for health reasons when his weight reached 35 stone.
Such was his weight, Plumb previously revealed to the BBC he was unable to work as he could no longer leave his flat.
For at least four years from 2014, the only time he ventured outside was to his communal bins.
Gavin Plumb had tried to
It was found that he passed one victim a note telling her he had a gun and that he would shoot “you and myself and everyone else”; if she did not follow him off the train.
The note said: “I have got a gun. All you have to do is keep quiet.
“Do what I say. So just stand up and get off at the next stop with me.
“Don’t cry or make a sound.
“Don’t stop me from touching you because I won’t hurt you.
“If you do all of this, no-one will get hurt but if you don’t I am going to shoot you and myself and everyone else.”;
What did Gavin Plumb do?
with soliciting the murder of Holly Willoughby, incitement, kidnap and incitement to rape.
He was arrested by Essex Police officers on Wednesday October 4, 2023, after .
The cop was while secretly feeding information to the FBI and the .
On July 12, 2024, Plumb following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
He was handed three concurrent life sentences – one for each of the offences – with a minimum term of 15 years.
Plumb will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life and has also been handed a restraining order.
Holly, 43, bravely waived her anonymity in regards to the incitement to rape count so that she could be named in court.
During the trial, , revealing Gavin Plumb discussing the alleged plot.
He told his associate Marc: “Plan of action, basically, we are going to hit it at night, less traffic on the road.
“Chloroform both of them, making them easier to restrain.
“Pick out outfits of hers we like, take her and the outfits with us and then we’re gone.
“We are then going to force her to make a video saying she came with us under her own free will and she’s fully consenting to everything we do to her so that covers us.”;
Police .
When officers seized his mobile phone and electronics during a search of his property, they found that he had looked up “how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebrities”;.
, officers found chloroform, cable ties, a blindfold and ropes.
Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby from Essex and Kent Serious Crime Directorate said: “This was an extremely fast-paced investigation, with many of our officers and national partners working overnight to secure these charges.
“The safeguarding of any victim is paramount and we will continue to prioritise this and working with the Metropolitan Police Service as the investigation proceeds.”;
During Plumb’s sentencing hearing, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said wished for her victim personal statement to be private.
But she also added: “Offending of this type, as Ms Willoughby said in her public statement, has a broader impact on women.
“Women should not feel unsafe when going about their daily lives.
“My Lord knows of the extreme and gratuitous degradation of the victim that was planned by this defendant.
“Degradation that was so depraved and vile that they were, by agreement, not reported in detail by representatives of the media.”;
When was Gavin Plumb on BBC show about weightloss?
Plumb appeared in a 2018 BBC documentary about weightloss.
He tipped the scales at 35-stone after gorging on fast food and guzzling 36 pints of Coke a week.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Afternoon Edition programme in August 2017, he said: “The last time I went out unaided was 2014 – it was my parents’ wedding vow renewal.
“I only really go out my front door to put out a bin bag, in the bin just outside the flat, and that’s every few days. Other than that, I don’t leave my doorstep.”;
He also revealed how his weight reached 35 and a half stone at his heaviest.
Plumb subsequently lost his job and gave up playing football.
He added: “I hate sitting indoors. I hate looking at the same four walls 24/7. I hate being the size I am.
“I’m pretty much in pain everywhere. I get chest pains and I’ve just been told it’s because of my weight.
“I’m scared that if I have something to eat or if I get up and I do too much, that’s it, I’m done.”;
The Plot To Kill Holly Willoughby
has produced a new true crime documentary titled .
However, Holly herself refused to take part in the show and even objected to its working title — Stalking Holly Willoughby.
An insider exclusively told The Sun: “Holly isn’t involved in the documentary at all, but producers are ploughing ahead in making it regardless.
“They know it’ll be a ratings hit to detail the gory specifics of the case.
“She declined to be interviewed by producers about the ordeal and her reps informed Channel 5 she wasn’t technically stalked so their title is incorrect.
“There is also concern that the events will be sensationally dramatised for effect.
“It’s an awkward move, as it’s not their story to tell.
“It will bring back a lot of the horrendous memories for entertainment purposes when she’s just trying to move on with her life.”;
The Plot To Kill Holly Willoughby airs on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 9pm on Channel 5.
